China, India must step back from Himalayan border

India and China must find a way to step back from potential confrontation in the western Himalayas, India’s foreign minister said on Thursday, fearing that the militarised, disputed border could lead to conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Both militaries have fortified positions and deployed large numbers of troops and equipment in the last three years, after a clash in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand fighting, without a shot being fired.
Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have helped ease tensions between the two opposing armies, but Jaishankar had in March described the situation there as fragile and dangerous.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said the two government’s remained in touch, and there were several military and diplomatic mechanisms in place for both sides to communicate.