Washington: The US has welcomed the ongoing efforts by India and China to de-escalate the situation in eastern Ladakh and said it would continue to monitor the situation closely as both sides work toward a peaceful resolution.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday announced in Parliament that India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.
“We will, of course, continue to monitor the situation closely as both sides work toward a peaceful resolution,” the spokesperson said while responding to a question on China and India pulling back their troops from eastern Ladakh.
Congressman Michael McCaul, lead Republican in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also welcomed the disengagement of troops.
“It’s heartening to see India stand strong in defending its sovereignty,” he said in a tweet.
“The (Chinese Communist Party) CCP’s constant territorial aggression, from the East and South China Seas to the waters of the Mekong, to the Himalayas, has no place in the 21st century,” McCaul said.
