India and China agree to work urgently to achieve the withdrawal of troops on their disputed border

NEW DELHI (AP) — India says it has agreed with China to work urgently to achieve the withdrawal of tens of thousands of troops stationed along their disputed border in a long-running standoff. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings in Laos, where they stressed the need for an early resolution of outstanding issues along the disputed Line of Actual Control, the long Himalayan border shared by the two Asian giants. Ties between the two countries deteriorated in July 2020 after a military clash killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area.