Doklam troop pullout: Did India blink first?

India and China on Monday agreed to withdraw troops from the disputed Doklam Plateau, ending a more than two-month-old tense border standoff. A Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press statement said that the “expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site has been agreed to and is ongoing.”

However, Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops would continue patrolling the disputed region, a contention that is raising questions if India is unilaterally withdrawing troops.

The military standoff on the Doklam Plateau started on June 18 after Indian troops entered the territory, which has been claimed by both Bhutan and China, as a Chinese road-construction party started work in the region. At least 300 troops on both sides ultimately got locked in a standoff that prompted international concerns over the implications of what a conflict between the two powers might mean for the broader region and the world.

The apparent thawing of military tensions between the two neighbours comes several weeks ahead of a crucial BRICS Summit in China, which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi’s contention has been that a road close to the tri-junction between India, Bhutan and China, where the Doklam Plateau is located, would jeopardise the security of India’s chicken-neck corridor, a narrow strip of land connecting the north-eastern states to Indian mainland.

China, on the other hand, has been accusing India of violating its and Bhutan’s sovereignty by sending in troops to defend the status quo on the disputed territory.