New Delhi: Indian and Chinese troops are still at the face-off site on the Doklam plateau and are separated by just 300 metres even after the disengagement announced by the two governments on August 28.
Soldiers from the two sides retreated just 150 metres each, but sources say this is in complete accordance with the statements issued by the external affairs ministry, Indian Express reported.
Sources said that this withdrawal of troops is the first stage of disengagement and the current stage is intermediary in a sequential removal. The government is hopeful that the two sides will further back off and return to the status quo of June 16, when the standoff had started.
There is no firm date on completion of a full withdrawal, but authorities are hopeful that it could be in a matter of weeks, if not days. They said it is dependent on the internal Chinese political calendar, which includes the Communist Party Congress next month.
The first stage of disengagement had allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have a frank discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Xiamen on Tuesday.
According to official sources, the terms for disengagement were decided in diplomatic negotiations at Beijing, which were led by the Indian ambassador to China, Vijay Gokhale. The top brass of the government in Delhi closely monitored the negotiations. The Army headquarters was closely involved in the consultations.
In its statement, the MEA had said that “expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing”. “The process (of expeditious disengagement) has since been almost completed under verification,” it had said later.
China's defence ministry has said that it will beef up patrols in the Doklam region, but was also ready to “adjust” deployments.
“The Chinese military will continue to carry out its mission and responsibilities, strengthen its patrols and garrisons in the Donglang area and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security,” Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqing had said last week.
“In light of the changes in the situation on the ground, Chinese border forces will carry out adjustments to deployments,” Ren told a monthly news briefing, without elaborating.
The trouble had started in June when India sent troops to stop China building a road in the Doklam area, known in China as Donglang, which is remote, uninhabited territory claimed by both China and Bhutan.
India has maintained that it sent its troops because Chinese military activity was a "threat to the security of its northeast region".
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