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Breakthrough in India-China border talks

Though the two sides disengaged from Patrolling Point 15 (PP-15), there has been no progress yet on resolving the standoff in Demchok and Depsang regions…reports Asian Lite News

Indian and Chinese militaries on Monday moved back their frontline troops to the rear locations from the face-off site of Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in eastern Ladakh and dismantled temporary infrastructure there as part of a five-day disengagement process.

People familiar with the development said the two sides disengaged as per the plan which also entailed a joint verification of the entire process.

“The full details of the disengagement and the verification process are being awaited from the ground commanders,” said a source.

Though the two sides disengaged from Patrolling Point 15 (PP-15), there has been no progress yet on resolving the standoff in Demchok and Depsang regions.

The Indian and Chinese armies on September 8 announced that they have kicked off the disengagement process from the PP-15, in a significant forward movement in the stalled process to pull-out troops from the remaining friction points in the region.

When asked about the disengagement at PP-15 on the sidelines of an event, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said: “I will have to go and take stock. But, it (disengagement process) is going as per schedule, and what was decided”.

The people cited above said all the temporary infrastructure created at the face-off site has been dismantled.

It is not immediately known whether the two sides will create a “buffer zone” at PP-15 as was done after the troops disengaged in friction points on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and at Patrolling Point 17(A) last year.

No side carries out patrolling in the buffer zone.

The disengagement in the Gogra-Hotsprings area is an outcome of the 16th round of high-level military talks in July, the two armies said while announcing the beginning of the process on September 8.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on September 9 that the disengagement process in PP-15 will be completed by Monday.

“As per the agreement, the disengagement process in this area started on September 8 at 0830 hours and will be completed by September 12. The two sides have agreed to cease forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas,” he said.

“It has been agreed that all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides will be dismantled and mutually verified. The landforms in the area will be restored to the pre-stand-off period by both sides,” Bagchi added.

He said the agreement ensures that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in this area will be strictly observed and respected by both sides, and that there will be no unilateral change in the status quo.

“With the resolution of the stand-off at PP-15, both sides mutually agreed to take the talks forward and resolve the remaining issues along LAC and restore peace and tranquillity in India-China border areas,” he said.

Initially, around 30 soldiers from each side were locked in a face-off in PP-15 but the number of troops kept changing depending on the overall situation in the region.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC were key for the overall development of the bilateral ties. The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.

Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area took place in February last year while the withdrawal of troops and equipment in Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra took place in August last year.

‘Eastern Theatre firmly under control’

The overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in the Eastern Theatre is “reasonably calm” and “firmly under control”, eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita said.

The commander said the situation in the region has been stable and no major “changes or palpable shift of stance has been noted” even as the Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a stand-off in Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.

He said Army is in a better position now to monitor the area of its interest in the region with the enhancement of infrastructure close to the LAC and induction of various platforms such as drones, helicopters and electronic surveillance equipment.

“Let me assure you that the Indian Army is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality in the Eastern Theatre. The border issue with China is being dealt with at all levels to ensure that there is no friction,” Lt Gen Kalita said He made the comments during an informal interaction with a group of visiting journalists in Kibithu, a key border post in the Lohit Valley facing China.

Lt Gen Kalita said that the Indian Army is continuously monitoring activities along the LAC and is well-poised to mitigate any challenges.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in Delhi

15 rounds of military-level talks have taken place between the two sides to resolve the issue…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who landed in Delhi on Thursday evening, is expected to hold bilateral talks on trade and the pending border dispute in Ladakh that is almost two years old now.

Yi is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday.

This is the first high-level Chinese diplomatic visit to India in over two years since the border dispute began between the two countries in Eastern Ladakh.

So far, 15 rounds of military-level talks have taken place between the two sides to resolve the issue.

Yi’s visit to Delhi is part of his ongoing South Asia tour. He was in Kabul on Thursday morning, following his participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Islamabad, where he had raked up the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

In Islamabad, Yi had said: “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.”

India, however, had rejected the “uncalled reference” to Kashmir during Yi’s speech in Islamabad.

“Matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India. Other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgement of their internal issues,” spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, had said on Wednesday while reacting to Yi’s comments.

The Chinese Foreign Minister is expected to be in Nepal from March 25-27.

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China says India making ‘unreasonable, unrealistic demands’

China criticises India over its stand adds that PLA made “tremendous efforts” to ease and cool down the border situation and fully demonstrated its sincerity, reports Sanjeev Sharma

After China and India failed to reach an agreement during the latest round of corps commander-level talks over the western section of the countries’ border issues, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command on Monday slammed New Delhi for its “unreasonable and unrealistic demands, with India also sparking new incidents along the eastern section of the border recently”, Beijing’s mouthpiece Global Times said.

“Chinese experts have warned of the risks of a new conflict, saying that China should not only refuse to give in to India’s arrogant demands on the negotiation table, but also be prepared to defend against another Indian military aggression,” the newspaper said.

China and India held the 13th round of corps commander-level talks at the Chinese side of the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point on Sunday, “during which India insisted on unreasonable and unrealistic demands, adding difficulties to the negotiations”, the PLA Western Theater Command said in a statement released on Monday.

Eyeing the overall situation in the China-India relations and the relations between the two countries’ militaries, China has made tremendous efforts to ease and cool down the border situation and fully demonstrated its sincerity, Senior Colonel Long Shaohua was quoted as saying in the statement.

“China’s determination to safeguard sovereignty is unwavering, and China hopes India will not misjudge the situation, cherish the current, hard-earned situation and take actions with sincerity to safeguard the peace and stability at the border by abiding to the relevant agreements and consensus reached by the two sides,” Long said.

During the talks, China and India discussed further troop disengagement in the region, but as the Chinese statement suggests, India attempted to push China to make concessions to only India’s favour, which is inappropriate from China’s consideration of safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday.

“While China focuses on the big picture, wanting both sides to meet each other half way, its patience has run out, and it had to shatter India’s arrogant thoughts with the statement,” Qian said.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Monday that India has been conspiring to seize territories along the border, and it likely demanded for Chinese territories or unreasonable troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control.

“It’s a very aggressive move and compared with China’s attempts to reach mutual accommodation, India is totally against the practical needs of both sides to manage difference,” the newspaper said.

“China should continue to negotiate with India to maintain peace and stability, but without yielding an inch of ground, Song said, noting that in the meantime, China also needs to brace for the possibility of another Indian military aggression, as India is risking a new round of conflict.”

Qian further said that “if India ignores China’s stance displayed in the latest talks, continues or even aggravates its aggressions without changing itself, the possibility of another accident or conflict could arise”.

‘If India starts a war, it will definitely lose’

China should be prepared for a military struggle in the event of a deteriorating scenario with India, Chinese mouthpiece Global Times said.

“New Delhi needs to be clear about one thing: It will not get the border the way it wants. If it starts a war, it will definitely lose. Any political maneuvering and pressure will be ignored by China,” an editorial in Global Times said.

“In handling the border dispute with India, it is of the utmost importance for China to do two things. First, we should stick to the principle that no matter how India makes trouble, China’s territory belongs to China and we will never cede it. India is still sleepwalking on the border issue. We can wait for it to wake up,” Global Times said.

“The Chinese people know that both China and India are great powers with enough national strength to sustain a long-time border standoff with each other. Such mutual attrition is regrettable, but if India is willing to do so, China will keep it company until the end,” Global Times said.

The Galwan Valley conflict proves that China will not hold back from taking action to safeguard its territorial sovereignty for the sake of easing China-India relations, it said.

“If New Delhi continues to misjudge the underlying dynamics between China and India and underestimates China’s resolve and determination, it will only create new misinformation for itself and expose India to further losses,” Global Times said.

“India’s attitude in the negotiations is opportunistic. New Delhi assumes that China needs India’s help because of China’s desire for stability in its western borders to achieve its overall national strategy,” it said.

“In particular, India sees the deterioration in China-US relations as an opportunity to gain key strategic bargaining chips. New Delhi anticipates Beijing softening its stance over the border issue and yielding to its demands to prevent New Delhi from aligning itself with Washington against Beijing,” the editorial said.

“However, the border issue between China and India remains stuck. The root cause is that the Indian side still hasn’t developed a correct attitude in the negotiations. It always makes unrealistic demands, not in line with the real situation or its strength,” it added.

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India, China to hold border talks on Sunday

India and China will discuss phase-III of disengagement and also overall de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, reports Asian Lite News

 India and China will hold 13th round of Corps Commander talks on Sunday, at Moldo on the Chinese side, to resolve border dispute in Eastern Ladakh.

Both the countries will discuss phase-III of disengagement and also overall de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.

The talks are scheduled two months after both the countries withdrew troops from friction Patrolling Point (PP) 17A in Gogra at the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.

The disengagement process was carried out over two days i.e. August 4 and 5, 2021. The troops of both sides are now in their respective permanent bases.

It happened soon after twelfth round of talks between the Corps Commanders on July 31, 2021.

As an outcome of the meeting, both sides agreed on disengagement in Gogra. The troops in this area have been in a face-off situation since May last year.

India
Indian Army Chief visits Siachen, Ladakh; reviews operational operational preparedness

With disengagement reached between both the countries for Gogra, India will now take up other remaining friction areas like Hot Springs and 900 square km Depsang plains during 13th round of military talks.

India has insisted during recent military commander meetings to resolve all issues across the Line of Actual Control.

Till now, apart from 12 round of Corps Commanders-level talks, the two forces have also held 10 Major Generals level, 55 Brigadiers-level talks and 1,450 calls over the hotlines.

Earlier, the troops of two Himalayan giants have disengaged from both the banks of Pangong Tso in February this year.

India and China have been engaged in border disputes for the last 16 months.

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India, China hold 12th round of border talks

Indian military delegates are discussing disengagement at friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and 900 square km Depsang plains, reports Asian Lite News

The twelfth round of top commanders-level talks between India and China are underway at Moldo on the Chinese side in the Ladakh region on Saturday.

The talks are happening after a gap of three months. Indian military delegates are discussing disengagement at friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and 900 square km Depsang plains.

Indian delegation is led by Leh-based XIV Corps chief Lt Gen P.G.K. Menon and Additional Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Naveen Srivastava.

The Chinese military delegation is led by Commander of the PLA’s Western Theatre Command Xu Qiling, who was appointed earlier this month.

Indian Army Chief visits Siachen, Ladakh; reviews operational operational preparedness

The build-up in Depsang was not being considered part of the current standoff that started in May last year as escalation here took place in 2013. India has insisted during recent military commander meetings to resolve all issues across the Line of Actual Control.

“The initial attempt will be to resolve Gogra and Hot Springs. Finding a solution to Depsang might be tricky and take longer,” said the officer.

In April, during 11th round of Corps Commander level talk, the focus was disengagement on friction points at Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang. On February 20, Indian and Chinese militaries held 10th round of dialogue to de-escalate tension at the Line of Actual Control.

Till now, apart from 11 round of Corps Commanders-level talks, the two forces have also held 10 Major Generals level, 55 Brigadiers-level talks and 1,450 calls over the hotlines.

China has been enhancing military infrastructure across the Line of Control.

Looking at it, India has changed its posture towards China, unlike its previous defensive approach that placed a premium on fending on Chinese aggression, India is now catering to military options to strike back and has reoriented its military accordingly.

Disengagement in south of Pangong Lake

India has reoriented around 50,000 troops whose main focus will be the disputed border with China. The reorientation comes when China is refurbishing its existing air-fields in Tibetan Plateau that will allow twin-engines fighter aircraft to be stationed, sources said.

In addition, China has also brought troops from the Tibet Military region to the Xinjiang region that passes through Karakoram range down south Uttarakhand.

Further, they have deployed larger numbers of long range artillery and are rapidly building infrastructure in the Tibetan Plateau.

So far, the troops of two Himalayan giants have disengaged from both the banks of Pangong Tso in February this year.

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