Working for solution as soon as possible: China

BEIJING/NEW DELHI: China has said for the first time that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers have disengaged in the Hot Spring area of Line of Actual Control (LAC) though people familiar with the matter said not all areas of contention in this sector have been cleared.

The Chinese foreign ministry told HT that the Chinese side is working closely with India to reach an acceptable solution to the standoff in eastern Ladakh “as soon as possible”, and it contended that troop disengagement has taken place at Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake and Hot Spring.

Despite numerous rounds of diplomatic and military talks over the past two years, the two sides have been unable to end the nearly 22-month standoff.

The Indian side has only acknowledged disengagement of frontline forces on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Lake and at Gogra.

Following the 15th round of talks between military commanders on March 11, HT had reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry for its response on the negotiations. The ministry responded with a brief statement in Mandarin. “China and India held the 15th round of commander-level talks on March 11 and issued a joint press release,” the statement said.

“Since last year, the two sides have successively achieved disengagement in the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake and Hot Spring areas. The current situation on the ground is stable and controllable.” People familiar with the matter made it clear that all areas of contention at Hot Spring had not been cleared, while declining to go into details.