India-China standoff: Have PLA troops disengaged from most sites?

The Chinese statement has come ahead of the fifth meeting which is expected to take place later this week between Corps Commanders of the two armies.

India-China LAC standoff: Discussing the current stance on standoff between Indian and Chinese troops, Beijing said that troops deployed on border on both sides have disengaged in most areas. The announcement came four days after New Delhi said that India and China had agreed on “early and complete disengagement” alongside the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Beijing said that the disengagement process started after communication took place through military and diplomatic channels, according to a report by The Indian Express.

While Beijing has made its statement on the disengagement process, the report highlighted that Indian Army or any other government official has not given any official confirmation or response to the statement made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. It is to note that the Chinese statement has come ahead of the fifth meeting which is expected to take place later this week between Corps Commanders of the two armies. As Chinese military has been reluctant in stepping back from Pangong Tso, it impacted and stalled the disengagement process. It is likely that the area will remain the focus of talks between the Corps Commanders.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that the communication via diplomatic and military channels (four rounds as of now) has been frequent and the situation has been de-escalating on the ground level and the temperature too is lowering. Wenbin further said that both countries are preparing for a fifth round of discussion on the commander-level to further resolve the issues.

To be sure, the military standoff between the Indian and Chinese troops began in early May and have been holding talks since June 6 for the disengagement process. Currently, the report said, disengagement has taken place at PP 14 (Galwan Valley), PP 15 (Hot Springs) and two other friction points. Disengagement of Army personnels is yet to take place at Pangong Tso and Patrolling Point 17A at Gogra, for which a fifth round of Corps Commander talks has been set.

Last week, during a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC), both countries had given a go ahead for an early as well as a complete disengagement of troops in the conflict areas along the LAC.