China said that it had “reached an agreement” with India on the ongoing tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a day after India announced troops from both sides had begun a “partial disengagement” from some of the stand-off points.

Practice question for mains:

Q. “Early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries”. Discuss in light of the ongoing border skirmishes between India and China.

Read the complete story here:

https://www.civilsdaily.com/burning-issue-india-china-skirmish-in-ladakh/

Troops moving back

• Partial deinduction has happened from some points in Galwan and Hot Springs areas.
• Chinese side removed some of the tents and some troops and vehicles have been moved back, and the Indian side to has reciprocated.
• At some points in the Galwan Valley, Chinese troops have moved back 2-3 km. However, there is no change in the ground situation at Pangong Tso.

De-escalation begins

• India and China held Major general-level talks to discuss further de-escalation at several standoff points in Eastern Ladakh including Patrolling Point (PP) 14, following a broad accord reached on Saturday in talks held at the Corps Commander-level.
• As per the agreement, a series of ground-level talks would be held over the next 10 days, with four other points of conflict identified at PP15, PP17, Chushul and the north bank of Pangong Lake.
• The Chinese Foreign Ministry said both sides had agreed to handle the situation “properly” and “in line with the agreement” to ease the situation.
• However, it did not provide specific details on some of the stand-off points, such as Pangong Lake, where Chinese troops are still present on India’s side of the LAC.

No final solution yet

• At present, the two sides are taking actions in line with the agreement to ameliorate the border situation.
• Government officials said a partial disengagement had happened at some points in the Galwan area and at Hot Springs, but there was no change at Pangong Lake.
• Chinese state-run media has revealed that the ongoing dispute will not escalate into a conflict.
• But it added due to the complexity of the situation, the military stand-off could continue for a little longer.

Way forward

• The military-level talks showed that both sides do not want to escalate tensions further.
• It showed that China and India remain determined to peacefully resolve border issues.
• However, the ongoing stand-off is not likely to end immediately, as concrete issues must still be resolved.

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