India and China have agreed to end their stand-off  through “expeditious disengagement” of their troops from Doklam, a disputed border area, after a tense stand-off that lasted more than two months. 

In what has been described as a dramatic announcement, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday that India has begun pulling their border security personnel from Doklam.

According to a statement issued by MEA, “expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site has been agreed to and is on-going”.

However, the statement has not divulged more details of the terms of disengagement from the area which had raised fears of a wider conflict between the two Asian giants who fought a brief border war in 1962.

“In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going,” the MEA statement titled “Doklam Disengagement Understanding” stated. 

Though the statement indicates that the withdrawal was mutually agreed after rounds of bilateral discussions through diplomatic channels, it is still unclear if the Chinese troops are reciprocating India’s disengagement move.

China said Indian troops had withdrawn from the remote area in the eastern Himalayas. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Chinese troops would continue to patrol the Doklam region.

“China will continue to exercise sovereignty rights to protect territorial sovereignty in accordance with the rules of the historical boundary,” Reuters quoted her.

Another report from Beijing said the Chinese troops will "continue to patrol in Doklam in the Sikkim sector” in a sign of “sovereignty over the region”.

The stand-off began in early June when China began extending a motorable road on the Doklam plateau that is claimed by both Bhutan and China.

The plateau, which lies at a junction between China, the north-eastern Indian state of Sikkim and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, is disputed between Beijing and Bhutan. India supports Bhutan's claim over it.