The Doklam Crisis Is Over? MEA Tweets Statement On ‘Disengagement’ Of Troops At Stand-Off Site

In a statement issued today (28 August), the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that China and India are maintaining diplomatic communications in respect of the incident in Doklam and that the two countries have agreed to “expeditious disengagement” of troops at the stand-off site. The disengagement of troops is ongoing, the MEA has said in the statement.

“In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going,” the two-point statement read.

Though this appears to be a mutually agreed solution, it is not clear if the Chinese troops are reciprocating to India’s disengagement moves by withdrawing from the stand-off site in Doklam. China has repeatedly claimed the Donglang area has been with it since “ancient times”.

This development comes just weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s possible visit to China to attend the BRICS Summit in Xiamen. The visit has not been officially announced by the government yet.

More details are awaited.