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Recently ,India and China announced that their armies have begun to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area of Eastern Ladakh, marking a step forward to end the standoff ongoing since May 2020.
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- The move comes ahead of next week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, which both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are attending.
Line Of Actual Control (LAC)
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Status of disengagement
- According to the consensus reached in the 16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting,the two sides have agreed to cease forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, resulting in the return of the troops of both sides to their respective areas.
- All temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides will be dismantled and mutually verified.
- The landforms in the area will be restored to pre-stand-off period by both sides.
- The agreement ensures that the LAC in this area will be strictly observed and respected by both sides, and that there will be no unilateral change in status quo.
- Earlier steps
- Both sides have maintained effective communications at all levels and agreed to properly handle the situation through bilateral dialogues.
- India and China have completed disengagement in five other areas — PP15 being the latest — creating buffer zones in Galwan Valley, north and south of Pangong Lake, and in PP17A in Hot Springs.
- The friction points that remain now are Demchok and Depsang, which China has constantly refused to accept, maintaining that they are not a part of the current stand-off.
Border disputes between India & China
What do the border agreements say?
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India’s Position
- India will continue to press for complete disengagement and de-escalation from all friction areas and the Corps Commander level talks will continue.
- India has constantly stated that the relationship cannot go back to normal as long as the situation along the standoff continues and has repeatedly called for the restoration of the status quo and restoration along the LAC.
China’s stand
- China termed the PP15 agreement “a positive development” that “will help facilitate the sound and steady development of bilateral relation but reiterated its stand that it would not accept India’s demand to restore the status quo prior to China’s transgressions, saying “the status quo of April 202 was created by India’s illegal crossing of the Line of Actual Control [LAC]”.
- In the last two years, China has also undertaken massive construction of infrastructure, habitat, and support structures to maintain the troops close to the LAC, altering the ground status.
Future Prospects
- India and China will take up remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) once the ongoing disengagement at Patrolling Point (PP) 15 in Gogra-Hot Springs is completed and will restore peace and tranquillity in border areas
- The Indian government has to keep a constant watch on all developments that have a bearing on India’s security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Source:TH
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