The meeting of senior military commanders at the Major General level between Indian and Chinese armies took place on Aug. 8 to discuss the next stage of disengagement by the Chinese side in the strategically important area of Depsang Plains in northern Ladakh. However, the 11-hour-long deliberation failed to narrow the differences, media reports indicate.
According to unnamed sources cited by India’s Hindustan Times, the agenda of the meeting was twofold: de-escalation of troops and equipment mobilized by both the armies on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the area; and restoration of patrolling rights to Indian troops, which has been blocked by the Chinese side since May. “According to sources in the defense and security establishment, tensions at Depsang Plains can be traced to China’s 18-km incursion into the area, which is close to the strategic Daulat Beg Oldi base, in 2013, and the 2017 Doklam stand-off,” The Print website reported.
Indian Express reported sources saying the two sides discussed ways to respect the border in Depsang Plains, where the Indian and Chinese versions of the LAC differ by around 23 km. This has led to a large number of transgressions by Chinese patrols recorded by the Indian side: 157 in 2019, up from 83 in 2018 and 75 in 2017. Another report said that Indians, too, have blocked Chinese patrols in the Depsang.
