Ladakh clash: China says its troops have ‘disengaged in most localities’ along LAC
The Foreign Ministry said tension around Pangong Lake was yet to be resolved and was likely to be discussed during the fifth round of meeting later this week.
China on Tuesday said its troops had “disengaged in most localities” along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, reported The Times of India. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that tension around Pangong Lake was yet to be resolved and was likely to be discussed during the fifth round of Corps Commander-level talks later this week.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said “the situation on the ground is de-escalating and the temperature is coming down” when asked about the tensions with India, reported The Hindu.
“Recently China and India have held frequent communication via diplomatic and military channels, with four rounds of commander-level talks and three meetings under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs,” Wang said. “Currently the two sides are actively preparing for the fifth round of commander-level talks to resolve outstanding issues on the ground. We hope the Indian side will work towards the same goal with China, implement the two sides’ consensus and jointly uphold peace and tranquility along the border.”
This came days after reports suggested that China has not yet withdrawn its troops from all areas along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Officials said that Chinese troops were still stationed at the Depsang Plains region, Gogra and the Fingers region along the Pangong Lake, where India and China had created a neutral zone.
There was no immediate reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs on the Chinese claim. On Friday, the MEA had said that India and China have agreed to an “early and complete” disengagement of the troops from the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, along the Line of Control on June 15, during which, 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed. It was the worst assault between the two nations since 1967. Since then, four round of talks have been held between the commanders of the two armies to work out details of disengagement from the stand-off areas.
