India and China move closer to resolving border standoff: Beijing

The militaries of China and India are making “great progress” in implementing the disengagement agreement to end over four-year-long standoff in eastern Ladakh, China’s Defence Ministry said Thursday.

“We also look forward to harmonious dance between the Chinese dragon and Indian Elephant with concerted steps,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Sr Col Wu Qian said while addressing the monthly media briefing here.

He said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun had a positive and constructive meeting in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, on the sidelines of a regional security conclave, last week.

The two sides are implementing the settlement reached between the two counties, he said, answering a question on the progress of the execution of the agreement reached between the two countries last month to end the standoff in eastern Ladakh.

“Now, we are making great progress,” he said.

The two ministers agreed to implement the important consensus reached between the top leaders and promote stable relations between the two countries, the spokesman said.

Wu said the two militaries should strictly abide by the recent common understandings reached by the two sides to de-escalate tensions at the border areas, make efforts to bring down the tensions and focus on enhancing mutual trust and exchanges between the two countries.

“We hope the two sides can seize the opportunity and build new momentum to make new progress in the military-to-military relations,” he said.