China and India have withdrawn all troops from a lake area on their disputed border in the western Himalayas, paving the way for further disengagement, Channel News Asia reported Monday quoting announcements.
The troops completed their pullout from the Pangong Tso Lake area Saturday, according to the communications. Clashes on the disputed border left 24 troops dead in June.
Both sides said they would work to reduce friction elsewhere along the border.
Satellite images last week showed China dismantling infrastructure and vacating camps just a few days after both countries agreed to a mutual disengagement.
China and India share a 2,100-mile-long border in the Himalayas. It is poorly defined and disputed. The two countries claim ownership of the area on each side of it.
Months of tension escalated fears that the continued military deployment in the Ladakh region and the China-run Aksai Chin could worsen the situation.
Both sides announced intentions to pull their forces out of the lake area Feb. 11 and military officials met Saturday to evaluate progress.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative Wang Wenbin said China hoped India would "work with China to meet each other halfway," CNN said.
In January, soldiers from both sides were hurt in a clash in the north-east in India's Sikkim state.
Twenty India troops were killed in a June encounter in the Galwan Valley. China said two days ago that four of its troops were killed in the clash.
"The smooth completion of disengagement of front-line troops in the Pangong Lake area...that provided a good basis for resolution of other remaining issues along the LAC in Western Sector," CNA quoted a joint press release as saying.
