Talks between India and China on the withdrawal of troops from Ladakh ‘stalled’

By Boyko Nikolov On Aug 3, 2020

NEW DELHI, (BM) – A complete and prompt withdrawal of Chinese troops from the line of de facto control in East Ladakh during the fifth round of negotiations with the Chinese military could not be achieved by representatives of the command of the Indian ground forces, learned BulgarianMilitary.com, citing military sources.

As part of the next negotiating stage with the participation of the commander of the 14th Indian Army Corps, General Harinder Singh, and the commander of the South Xinjiang Military District of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA), General Liu Ling, the parties discussed the lack of progress in the withdrawal of Chinese troops in a number of areas of Ladakh.

“So, at the meeting, India insisted on the withdrawal of the PLA troops from the high-mountainous lake Pangong Tso, where the Chinese troops remained in their previous positions, despite the agreements on their withdrawal, which were reached by the parties on July 15,” the sources said.

The Indian side hoped that the withdrawal of Indian and Chinese troops in the disputed area would allow the armies to return to their original positions, and, within the framework of previous agreements, strengthen patrolling by Indian and Chinese troops in the problem area. However, the Chinese side is currently not only hesitating to withdraw its troops, but is also strengthening its military positions.

“In connection with the slipping now of the process of complete separation of troops, the construction of the PLA roads in Ladakh, the laying of Chinese fiber-optic communication lines there and the equipment of military positions, in the future, it may be necessary to conduct bilateral negotiations between India and China at a high political and diplomatic level,” – sources emphasized.

As we reported on July 31 India and China agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquility was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations.

Then [July 31 – ed.] it became clear that there has been some progress made towards this objective but the disengagement process has as yet not been completed.

The Embassy of India in Bulgaria aslo said that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship.

India expects that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas at the earliest as agreed to by the Special Representatives.

The Sino-Indian confrontation on the border

The Sino-Indian confrontation on the border has been gaining momentum lately. In mid-June, it was reported that clashes between the military of both countries led to casualties for the first time in 45 years. At the same time, it is impossible to reduce the degree of tension, despite the active negotiation process.

The conflict is taking place in the highland region of Aksaychin, located on the border of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, Pakistan and India. This territory is under the control of China, but India disputes this situation and includes this region in the union territory of Ladakh.

The stumbling block for the parties is the issue of ownership of the mountainous territories in the north of Kashmir and part of the Indian state of Archunachal Pradesh. This dispute became the cause of the border war in 1962, as a result of which a line of de facto control appeared in Aksaychin. Then India lost part of its lands in the Himalayas.

And although the parties entered into a settlement agreement, the claims still exist: China is still trying to gain control over 3.5 thousand square meters. km in the Indian Archunachal Pradesh, and India accuses Beijing of illegal occupation of more than 43 thousand square meters. km in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Various skirmishes between Chinese and Indian border guards on the disputed land occur regularly. However, in May they became especially intense due to the buildup of the contingent, first by Beijing, and then by New Delhi.

During the clashes between the military on June 15-16, the dead appeared. The Indian side officially confirmed the deaths of three of its soldiers, while the Chinese did not provide any information. The Indian agency ANI, citing sources, wrote that as a result of the clash, India lost at least 20 military personnel, and the Chinese side – 43 people killed and seriously wounded.

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