Nov. 20, 1962 - Communist China announced today it was ordering a ceasefire along the entire Indian border at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Eastern standard time. A Government statement in Peking also said that starting Dec. 1, “Chinese frontier guards will withdraw to positions 20 kilometers behind the lines of actual control which existed between China and India” on Nov. 7, 1959. The statement said that China was making the move in an effort to end hostilities, to correct the border situation, and to put into effect proposals it made Oct. 24. The Oct. 24 proposals called for 12-mile withdrawals by both sides and “peaceful negotiation” of a boundary line. India rejected them. Peking warned today that it “reserved the right to fight back in self-defense” if Indian troops “continued their attacks” after the Chinese ceasefire or withdrawal.
