The Chinese Ministry of National Defence on Sunday released images of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops under the Xinjiang Military Command carrying out “attack exercises” in the China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) near the Sino-India border, as per an official statement.
The Xinjiang Military Command falls under the Western Theatre Command, one of the five integrated commands of the PLA.
The statement from Beijing said that the drills were carried out by soldiers attached to the Shigatse Military Division, which lies close to TAR’s borders with India, Nepal and Bhutan.
The press release on Sunday dated the images to be from June 9.
Armored infantry vehicles attached to the Rikaze Military Sub-command under the PLA Xizang Military Command march in line while heading to the mission area during an attack exercise on June 9, 2022
© (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Qiang)
Another image released by the Ministry of National Defense on the same day depicted a brigade of the 77th Group Army, which is the PLA’s elite mountain force stationed in the TAR, carrying out “live fire drills”. The image is dated July 3.
PLA's 77th Group Army brigade carrying out live-fire drills in this image, dated 3 July
© Photo : Chinese Ministry of National Defense
The official Chinese statements about the drills coincided with the 16th round of corp commander-level talks between Indian and Chinese military officials, which also took place on Sunday at Chulshul-Moldo meeting point at the Indian side of the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The military commander-level meeting was the first between the two armies since March 11, when they met for the 15thround of talks in a bid to resolve the ongoing border dispute in Ladakh which erupted in May 2020.
The discussions were led by Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta, commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and Major General Yang In, the South Xinjiang Military district chief, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
PTI reported on Sunday evening that the talks began at around 9:30 a.m. and lasted around 12 and a half hours. During the consultations, the Indian side reportedly pressed for disengagement of troops from three remaining friction points in the eastern Ladakh region—Hot Springs (Patrolling Point 15), Depsang Plains, and the Demchok sector.
Around 50,000 troops from each side, along with advanced weapons systems, are embroiled in a face off at the disputed points.
As of Monday morning, there was no official statement from the Indian government on outcome of the talks on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a Chinese state media report cited observers as stating that “it will take some time for the two countries to figure out a solution both sides can accept.” Chinese observers said that the discussions marked a “positive trend” in bilateral ties in spite of differences.
To date, New Delhi and Beijing have managed to disengage their troops from the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso Lake, Kailash Ranges as well as the Gogra Post (Patrolling Point 17A).
The decision to dismantle temporary structures and allied infrastructure was taken during the 12th round of military commander talks on July 31 last year, as per an official statement.
All temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides have been dismantled and mutually verified. "The landform in the area has been restored by both sides to the pre-standoff period,” the Army said in a statement.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has said that the border standoff between India and China, the deadliest in over four decades, has “profoundly disturbed” the overall ties between the two Asian powerhouses.
New Delhi blames China for starting the stand-off, while Beijing says New Delhi’s “forward policy” and "illegal encroachments" are the “root cause” of the dispute.