India and China look to expedite de-escalation
Lt Generals of both armies discuss disengagement, more meetings expected
NEW DELHI: The Indian and Chinese armies stressed the need for an “expeditious, phased and step-wise de-escalation” of the ongoing border conflict “on priority” during a marathon meeting between senior military commanders at Chushul in Ladakh on Tuesday, people familiar with the developments said on Wednesday.
But the disengagement process will be “complex” even though the military discussions “reflected the commitment” of both sides to reduce tensions, the people added on condition of anonymity.
The June 30 meeting focused on issues related to “disengagement at the face-off sites” along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) and “de-escalation from the border areas”, according to one of the people cited above.
“More meetings are expected both at the military and the diplomatic level to arrive at a mutually-agreeable solution and to ensure peace and tranquility along the LAC as per bilateral agreements and protocols,” a second person said.
This was the third meeting between delegations led by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region; and the second after the brutal clash at Galwan Valley that left 20 Indian and an unconfirmed number of Chinese soldiers dead.
There was no official statement from Indian Army on Tuesday’s Chushul talks.
But the people indicated that disengagement is expected to kick off with rival troops pulling back a few hundred metres from face-off sites, with further retreat taking place in phases as the plan progresses on a verifiable basis on the ground. Both India and China have significantly reinforced their deployments with thousands of soldiers, fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, heavy artillery, missiles
and air defence systems in the region.
Experts said that the Indian Army must follow a cautious approach during the disengagement process as the continuing Chinese buildup calls into question the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) intent to restore status quo ante (early April) in strategic areas.
“It appears the talks have led to some partial forward movement. But the reliability of the Chinese remains suspect, given their track record in the area. The army will verify if the Chinese are retreating from face-off points at every stage. Disengagement will have to be followed by de-escalation and de-induction of troops and equipment from the region,” said Lt General BS Jaswal (retd), a former Northern Army commander.
The Indian side on Tuesday reiterated its demand for the pullback of Chinese troops from several friction points along the LAC and sought the restoration of status quo ante (early April) in key areas including Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and the strategic Depsang plains, apart from emphasising the need for thinning the military buildup in the region. “Both sides have emphasised the need for an expeditious, phased and step-wise de-escalation as a priority. This is in keeping with the agreement between the external affairs minister and his Chinese counterpart during their conversation on June 17 that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and that both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 sincerely,” the second person said.
The two senior officers first met on June 6 to ease growing tensions along LAC. But the limited military disengagement that began in some areas after the first meeting was derailed after the bloodshed in Galwan Valley.
The delegations led by the corps commander-ranked officers last met on June 22 when they hammered out a consensus on disengaging from friction points along the disputed border.
However, the “mutual consensus to disengage” from all “friction areas” has neither enabled any disengagement on the ground nor led to the thinning of military build-up by rival forces in the region, Hindustan Times last Wednesday.
“The June 30 meeting was held in a businesslike manner keeping in view the Covid-19 protocols. The discussions reflected the commitment of both sides to reduce the tensions along the LAC. The process of disengagement along the LAC is complex and in such a context, speculative and unsubstantiated reports need to be avoided,” said the first person. India is especially concerned about the PLA holding positions in the Finger Area where it has set up permanent bunkers, pillboxes, tented camps and observation posts in areas Delhi considers its territory. Chinese buildup has also been seen in the Depsang sector, the Galwan Valley, and the Gogra Post-Hot Springs region.