India-China standoff live updates: 12,000 troops ready in DBO-Depsang

US agrees to launch dialogues with EU on threats posed by China

The United States and the European Union have agreed to launch a dialogue on China to address the threats of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. Pompeo made the remarks during the Brussels Forum in a discussion with the German Marshal Fund. "Enjoyed the discussions today at the German Marshall Fund's #BrusselsForum. I am excited to announce the US and EU are launching a dialogue on China to address the threats the CCP poses to our common values and way of life," tweeted Pompeo on Friday Last week, European Union chief diplomat Josep Borrell has called for talks between Europe and the United States aimed at forging a common transatlantic front against China. Read full report

Indian Army alert to PLA build-up in hotspot Depsang

India is keeping a close watch on China’s military mobilisation in the Depsang Plains region, a major hotspot after Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Hot Springs areas, which can conceivably threaten a vast swathe of Indian territory in north-eastern Ladakh. Army chief General M M Naravane, during his trip to forward areas of eastern Ladakh over the last couple of days, directed further strengthening of patrolling to the 65 points on the Line of Actual Control to plug all gaps, while reviewing the operational situation in all sectors from Daulat Beg Oldie-Depsang in the north to Demchok-Chumar in the south. Read full report

“There has been no disengagement and de-escalation on the ground, just a few vehicles moving up and down. It might take a few months… can stretch till October. We are in a wait-and-watch mode,” another source said.

The Indian Army remains firm it will not yield to China’s attempt to grab more area in both Galwan and Pangong Tso areas, and is pressing for restoration of status quo as it existed in April.

PLA soldiers continue to occupy the “Finger-4 to 8” area (mountainous spurs stretching over a distance of 8km) on the north bank of Pangong Tso since early-May, having built dozens of fortifications and taking the heights to dominate the area there.

China is continuing to aggressively push its claim at “Patrolling Point-14” in Galwan Valley region, the site of the bloody clashes on June 15, where the PLA is demanding Indian troops must not cross the confluence of the Shyok and Galwan rivers.

Face-offs and clashes cannot be ruled out due to tensions running high on the ground, especially in the Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley regions, though the rival troops are maintaining “stand-off distances” from each other.

With India too deploying thousands of additional troops backed by tanks, infantry combat vehicles and howitzers in the region, and IAF fighters like Sukhoi-30 MKIs and MiG-29s regularly patrolling the skies, “criticalities in full operational preparedness” that existed before have been plugged. “We are well-poised in the forward areas with a strong military posture, with more troops and weaponry positioned in the depth areas,” a source said.

The assessment as of now is that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is “unlikely to risk an all-out offensive” despite all its muscle-flexing by amassing troops and heavy weaponry along the unresolved Line of Actual Control (LAC), especially in the strategically located Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO)-Depsang area, sources said.

Naravane is learned to have briefed PM Narendra Modi on Thursday after returning from his visit to forward areas in eastern Ladakh, which was followed by another meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.

With Army chief General M M Naravane briefing the top political leadership about the operational situation in eastern Ladakh, the defence establishment is reasonably confident that its “total combat potential” now deployed in the region will deter any offensive thrust or major misadventure from China.