The senior commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies are holding another round of talks on Saturday at Daulat Beg Oldie in Eastern Ladakh at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to take forwarded the stalled process of disengagement at Depsang plains and Pangong Tso, where mobilisation has increased.
The talks began at around 11 a.m. IST, and are currently underway. The last high-level military dialogue happened on 2 August over differences in the deployment of army in the Finger area near Pangong Tso. Different parts of Pangong Tso are marked as Finger 1 through Finger 8.
India may raise the issue of patrolling in certain Fingers that have been blocked, reported India Today, as well as the deployment of over 15,000 Chinese troops opposite Depsang. The Chinese had earlier refused to move back from Depsang, where they have moved their troops and equipment up to a Y-Junction.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Shrivastva on Thursday said that the Special Representatives of India and China had a telephone conversation on 5 July and the two sides agreed upon the early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC.
"The two Special Representatives had 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 the smooth overall development of bilateral relations," said Shrivastva.
Recent satellite images from the region showed an additional build-up of the Chinese Army in the contested region, with additional floating docks, tents, and huts in the Pangong Tso district. As of the 27 July report, India also deployed a squadron (12) of T-90 missile-firing tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and a full troop brigade (4,000 men) to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO).
The physical clashes broke out between the two countries on 15 June after they accused each other of violating the 4,057-km LAC adjacent to the Ladakh region, to the border that both the countries agreed to in 1993.