India and China now plan to establish a no-patrolling or buffer zone between the rival soldiers at one of the 'friction' points in the Gogra-Hot Springs-Kongka La sector of Ladakh region, according to an exclusive report by Times of India.
The phased disengagement with physical verification at Patrolling Point-17A is likely to kick off over the next few days, once the "in-principle agreement" reached during the 12th round of corps commander-level talks last Saturday is "ratified" by the two governments. However, "China's final confirmation is awaited," the Times on India said.
The other friction point in the sector, PP-15, as well as the much more intractable issue of the blocking of Indian troop patrols in the strategically-located Depsang Bulge area and the tents pitched inside Indian territory in the Demchok sector will need to be further discussed with China, the TI report said.
The proposed buffer zone at PP-17A will be akin to the one established in Galwan Valley, which is to its north, after violent skirmishes left 20 Indian soldiers and an unverified number of Chinese troops dead there on June 15.
However, China remains rigid in its stance on Depsang and Demchok. This is one of the key reasons why the Chinese have not even discussed other areas in eastern Ladakh apart from the ones that emerged as friction points during the military standoff last year, the Indian media report said.
China, India border meeting creates further optimism: Global Times
China and India have wrapped up the 12th round of corps commander level
meeting, in which the two sides constructively discussed the resolution of
remaining areas related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
in the Western Sector of border areas, the Chinese Defense Ministry announced
on Monday.
The meeting was held at the
Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side, following the meeting of
the two country's foreign ministers on July 14 and the 22nd meeting of the
Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border
Affairs on June 25, according to a joint press release by the two countries'
defense ministries.
The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange
of views on resolving the remaining areas related to disengagement along the
LAC in the Western Sector of India-China border areas, and both sides noted
that this round of meeting was constructive, which further enhanced mutual understanding,
the press release said.
In the 12th round of talks, China and India agreed to resolve remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols, and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations, and that in the interim they will continue their effective efforts in ensuring stability along the LAC in the Western Sector and jointly maintain peace and tranquility, according to the latest release.
Chinese Experts
Unlike the 11th round of talks that did not result in a joint statement,
the latest round reached more consensus, but will not likely be as big as the
ninth meeting that saw the disengagement in Pangong Tso, Chinese experts said
on Monday, according to Global Times.
Qian Feng, director of the research department
at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global
Times on Monday that the latest meeting saw less differences between both
sides, as no joint press release was made last time.
While the joint release did not go into details
on disengagement in places like Hot Springs and Gogra as some Indian media had
previously reported, it showed that both sides maintained communication
channels, Qian said, noting that that is why the release mentioned the foreign
ministers' meeting and the border affairs working mechanism meeting, indicating
that the border question is no longer just a military question, but a strategic
question on political and diplomatic levels between the two countries.
The meeting is another step towards resolving
the question, but the joint press release came relatively late after the
meeting, which could be an indication that both sides still have differences on
some concrete disengagement points and methods, so the result may not be as
remarkable as the ninth meeting, which saw a disengagement in Pangong Tso, Qian
said.
China Releases Video Of 2020 Galwan Clashes
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