India rejects China's claim of 'normalcy' on LAC; to seek withdrawal of PLA troops from Ladakh

The next meeting between the military commanders of the two sides would focus on reaching an agreement for ending the face-off in Depsang and Demchok

With India rejecting China's claim about return of normalcy along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army will insist on withdrawal of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s troops from Depsang and Demchok areas of eastern Ladakh when the senior commanders of the two sides will meet next.

Beijing has claimed that the mutual withdrawal of troops by the Chinese PLA and the Indian Army from Patrolling Point 15 (Gogra-Hot Springs area) last month marked the restoration of normalcy along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Its claim appears to be an attempt to build pressure on India to accept the “new normal” in Depsang and Demchok areas where the PLA continues to block the Indian Army’s access to several patrolling points along the LAC.

New Delhi, however, has rejected the claim, stating that more issues are still left to be resolved and more steps are still needed to be taken to restore normalcy along the de facto boundary between the two nations.

The diplomats of the two nations had a video conference last Friday. India pressed China for continuation of talks through diplomatic channels as well as negotiations between senior military commanders in order to reach an agreement for mutual disengagement of troops from the remaining face-off points along the LAC.

The video conference ended with the two sides agreeing to hold the 17th round of talks between the commanders of the Indian Army and PLA soon.

A source told DH that the next round of the meeting between the military commanders of the two sides would focus on reaching an agreement for ending the face-off in Depsang and Demchok areas.

The PLA troops deployed in Depsang, well inside the territory of India along the LAC with China, are still continuing to block the Indian Army’s access to Patrolling Points 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13. A face-off is also continuing in Demchok.

Chinese envoy to India Sun Weidong recently said that the current border situation was overall stable and “the phase of emergency response” since the June 15, 2020 Galwan Valley clash had basically come to an end and the border situation was now switching to normalized management and control.

New Delhi, however, held fast to its stand that it would acknowledge return of normalcy along the LAC only when the Indian Army and the PLA would mutually pull back troops from the remaining face-off points and would also withdraw the additional troops deployed in the “depth areas” on the respective sides.

The relations between India and China have soured over the past two-and-a-half years, starting with the stand-off between the two countries in multiple locations along the LAC in April-May 2020. The stand-off reached a flashpoint on June 15, 2020, when the soldiers of the two sides had a violent face-off in Galwan Valley.

The disengagement of troops at the PP 15 on September 8-12 followed similar mutual withdrawal of troops in Galwan Valley in July 2020, in northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021 and in Gogra Post in August 2021.