China and India back down from border stand-off

India and China have agreed to deescalate a tense months-long stand-off in the Himalayas that has sparked one of the worst border disputes between the nuclear-armed rivals in more than 30 years.

What is the dispute about?

In June, China crossed into territory claimed by Bhutan when it extended a road in Donglang, a remote plateau on the three-way border between the two countries and India.

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At Bhutan's request, Indian troops crossed the border to stop the construction and "formed a human chain to physically prevent the Chinese from working", the Indian Express reported.

This led China's foreign ministry to call for India to "immediately and unconditionally withdraw its trespassing border troops".

"India is still not only illegally remaining on Chinese territory, it is also repairing roads in the rear, stocking up supplies [and] massing a large number of armed personnel," the foreign ministry said at the time. "This is certainly not for peace."

India denies any military build-up and says its troops are there as part of its 2007 treaty with Bhutan committing the two nations to support one another's national security interests, says The Hindu.

Why does it matter?

While the disputed road is no more than a "motorable track", according to the Indian Express, its significance for India goes deeper than neighbourly solidarity. China is seen in New Delhi as brazenly jockeying to spread influence towards vulnerable parts of India.

For India, a Chinese-controlled route to Gymochen would represent a power creep that would bring Beijing's sphere of control unacceptably close to home.

With the new road, China would be well-placed to expand south-east along the Jampheri Ridge, a strategically vital piece of high ground which looks towards the Chicken's Neck, a narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its seven north-eastern states.

Defiant opinion pieces in Indian newspapers urge the government to stand its ground against "unilateral action by Beijing to change the status quo in the area", as the Times of India puts it.

So who is in the right?The mountainous frontier between Bhutan and China is difficult to define. Despite 24 rounds of talks since the 1980s, both countries still lay claim to multiple areas.

A previous deal committed both sides not to make any moves in the disputed territories, but China's apparent attempt to redraw its border with Bhutan has set alarm bells ringing - and not just in Thimphu.

Both Bhutan and India maintain that the junction between the three nations is located at a mountain pass called Batang La. China claims it lies four miles south, at Gymochen peak, where its planned road will end.

What prompted the truce?News of Monday's truce comes as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare to meet at the Brics summit later this week, alongside leaders from Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

The leaders of Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Egypt and other nations are also expected to attend, as Jinping seeks to expand the grouping to include other emerging nations sympathetic to China's interests.

Manoj Joshi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi, told CNN that the quick de-escalation of the situation ahead of the summit shows that Modi has withstood Chinese pressure and forced Beijing to back down.

Dhruva Jaishankar, an analyst at Brookings India, told the broadcaster that Monday's announcement was a sign that "despite differences both sides can resolve their concerns about each other peacefully and through diplomatic channels".

However, Dan Wang, China analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, warned that the "risk of both sides getting back to military standoff is not eliminated".