India and China have reached an agreement on patrolling their shared Himalayan border, according to the two governments, potentially easing the icy hostility between the Asian giants after a deadly skirmish between their troops four years ago.

       India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, said during a news conference on Monday that the border agreement had come after weeks of intense talks between diplomatic and military negotiators from both sides. The agreement, Mr. Misri said, was designed to lead to “disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had arisen in these areas in 2020.”

       Asked about reports of a border patrol deal, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, said on Tuesday that China and India had been in “close communication.”

       “Now both sides have arrived at a resolution on the relevant matter, which China views favorably,” Mr. Lin said. “Going forward, the Chinese side and Indian sides will implement those resolutions.”

       Advertisement

       SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

       India made its announcement a day before the opening of a summit of the BRICS nations, a group of emerging-market countries that includes India and China.

       On Tuesday, Mr. Misri said that Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi would sit down for bilateral talks on Oct. 23. The meeting would be the first interaction between the two leaders since 2019, before the border dispute froze such talks.

       Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.