Doklam stand-off: Bhutan welcomes disengagement understanding by India, China

Bhutan has welcomed the disengagement understanding between India and China at the face-off site in the Doklam area.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thimphu on 29 August released a statement, in which it expressed hope that the agreement between the two neighbouring nations translates to maintenance of peace and tranquility.

"We hope this contributes to the maintenance of peace and tranquility and status quo along the borders of Bhutan, China and India in keeping with the existing agreements between the respective countries," the statement said.

A week before the BRICS summit, India and China on Monday ended the Doklam stand-off by agreeing for disengagement of their troops at the disputed frontier.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing would continue to patrol the region.

"Chinese personnel conducted an on-site check at the disputed area at 2.30 pm (Beijing time). China will continue to safeguard its territorial sovereignty according to historical boundary treaties. China's border guards will continue to patrol the area. At the same time and in view of the changed situation, the Chinese side will make the necessary adjustments and deployments," MFA spokesperson Hua Chunyin said, adding that the settlement of the issue through diplomacy was "in line with the interests of both countries."

The stand-off at the trijunction with Bhutan had sparked fears for Thimphu that China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) might aggressively seize the disputed territory along their western border. 

-ANI