India-China hold talks, focus on disengagement in more areas

Troops to pull out from Depsang, Gogra, Hotsprings

India and China’s Corps Commanders on Saturday held the 10th round of talks to discuss disengagement from Depsang plains and Gogra-Hotsprings friction points in Ladakh.

The meeting was held in Moldo on Chinese side and started at around 10 am. The Indian delegation was led by 14 Corps Commander Lt-General P.G.K. Menon. Naveen Srivastava, joint secretary (East Asia), from the ministry of external affairs was also part of the Indian delegation.

The 10th round of Corps Commanders meeting is being held after Indian and Chinese troops completed disengagement from Pangong Tso in Eastern Ladakh after nine months of stand-off. India and China are now discussing modalities of the second phase of disengagement in Depsang, Gogra, Hotsprings and Demchok.

India and China are likely to issue a joint statement on the outcome of the meeting. It is expected that India and China will first be able to reach an agreement on Gogra-Hotsprings. Even last year both sides had agreed to move back their troops from these two friction points. As per the

understanding last year, a buffer zone on both sides of the LAC was to be created in these areas of stand-off. However, the disengagement was not fully implemented at Gogra-Hotsprings.

As per the agreement on Pangong Tso, Chinese troops will move east of Finger 8 in the north bank of Pangong Tso and Indian troops will move to their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3. There will be a "temporary" freeze on patrolling by both sides in the area between Finger 4 to 8 on the Northern banks of Pangong Tso till both sides reach an agreement in diplomatic and military talks.

In Depsang plains, Chinese troops are blocking Indian patrol teams from going to Patrolling Points 10 to 13. A Major General level meeting was also held on August 8 last year at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) to discuss disengagement at Depsang plains.

The Corps Commanders meeting on Saturday was held a day after China on Friday, for the first time after nearly eight months, officially acknowledged that its four soldiers were killed and one officer seriously injured during clashes with Indian troops in June last year in Galwan Valley.

The Indian Army lost 20 soldiers, including Col B. Santosh Babu, Commanding

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Officer of 16 Bihar, during the clash.

Earlier this week, the Indian Army's Northern Commander Lt. Gen. Y.K. Joshi had referred to the Russian news agency TASS’ report which had put out a figure of 45 Chinese soldiers killed during the clash. Chinese state affiliate media on Friday had released a propaganda video purportedly of the Galwan where it tried to show Indian troops crossing the river and coming towards Chinese soldiers. China media has been trying to blame India for the Galwan clash and the heavily edited video seemed to be part of that narrative which China is trying to build.