India and China have reached an agreement to resolve their four-year military stand-off along the disputed border, announced Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. This deal aims to restore the situation to its pre-2020 state and could lead to improved political and business relations between the two nations.

The announcement comes ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia for the BRICS summit from October 22-24, where he may hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The border conflict, which escalated in 2020, resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers in the Ladakh region and strained bilateral ties.

Jaishankar stated at a media conclave, "We reached an agreement on patrolling, and with that, the disengagement process with China has been completed." He emphasised that peaceful relations are essential for broader cooperation between the two countries.

A senior Indian military officer revealed that both sides will patrol contested points along the border based on a mutually agreed schedule, with monitoring in place to prevent further violations. While Beijing has not yet responded to the announcement, officials in New Delhi expressed optimism, suggesting the agreement paves the way for a possible Modi-Xi meeting during the BRICS summit, marking their first since the border clashes in 2020. (Reuters)