India-China standoff at Galwan valley: Top developments

NEW DELHI: The deadliest clash between India and China in over five decades killed 20 Indian soldiers during the hand-to-hand fighting between border troops at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh.
Here are the latest developments:
* It is clarified that there are no Indian troops missing in action, according to Indian Army sources.
* Several areas close to LAC including Changtang, Durbuk and Nyoma are completely cut off from communication. We are unable to contact our councillors in these areas.
* China and India have agreed to deal with the "serious matter" caused by the conflict at the Galwan Valley in a "just manner" and both sides are in communication and coordination through diplomatic and military channels to de-escalate the tensions as soon as possible, a top Chinese official said on Thursday.
* On Thursday, Major General level talks are being held between India and China to resolve the issues related to the June 15-16 violent face-off, according to sources in the Army. Similar talks took place on Wednesday as well but they remained inconclusive without any changes on the ground.
* India maintained that what happened in Galwan was a "pre-mediated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties." External affairs minister S Jaishankar made it clear that India wants restoration of old status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) prevailing before May 2020 when the first reports of Chinese incursions started appearing.
* On the other hand, Beijing has reiterated that the Galwan Valley belonged to China. Chinese foreign ministry blamed India for the June 15 violence on the LAC. In a mix of assertive and cooling signals, spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that China didn't want any more clashes and that China “owns sovereignty over the Galwan Valley region”.
* Amidst the border-dispute, as of Thursday, Indian ground forces have been on almost war-like alert along the LAC from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The LAC in eastern Ladakh, for instance, has well over 15,000 Indian soldiers deployed in forward areas, with more backing them in the rear.
* The Indian defence establishment is also re-thinking the protocol followed by its soldiers of not carrying firearms in the forward areas along the LAC in the face of the continuing belligerence from the PLA.
* The current face-off between the border troops had been ongoing since May in the Galwan region which lies in Western Himalayas.
* The disputed area lies at an altitude of about 14,000 feet (4,250 metres) and temperatures often fall below zero degrees Celsius.
* The 1993 agreement between India and China stipulates that neither side shall use force at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border. But violent, high-altitude disputes have erupted several times without any shots being fired.
* Incursions or transgressions by Chinese troops have happened before but in last 53 years none have been as violent as the one that took place on June 15-16 . People's Liberation Army (PLA) intrusions increased from 296 in 2016 to 473 in 2017, 404 in 2018, and 663 in 2019. The PLA has also increasingly been showing aggressive behavior and assertiveness in some new areas like the Galwan Valley region and the Naku La sector in north Sikkim.
* Soon after the violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops on the north bank of Pangong Tso (Tso means lake) on May 5-6, another had taken place in Naku La on May 9. The skirmish in the Galwan Valley region on Monday night, of course, surpassed them all in terms of violence and deaths on both sides.
(With inputs from agencies)