There was no official news on the outcome of the 10th round of corps commander-level talks, led by 14 Corps commander Lieutenant General PGK Menon and the head of the southern Xinjiang military district, Major General Liu Lin, on the Chinese side of the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on Saturday.
The dialogue, which included an additional secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava from the ministry of foreign affairs in the Indian delegation, began At 10 amand continued until late at night.
The sources, however, said there were no “differences as such” between India and China in “completing” the stalled disconnection at patrol points (PP) 15 and 17A in the Hot Springs-Gogra-Kongka La area.
“There are only a handful of troops from both sides in the forward locations there, and they are not very close to each other either. After the disconnection on both sides of Pangong Tso, which was much more difficult, it should happen faster at PP 15 and 17A, ”said a source.
Similarly, the “friction” in the Charding Ninglung Nallah (CNN(PLA) set up some tents and at the same time denied grazing rights to indigenous villagers there, it should be relatively easier to solve, sources said.
The main focus of problems remains the strategically located Depsang Plains or Bulge area, the mesa plateau located at 16,000 feet, which has been “a constant source of friction” since at least 2013.
While the region provides India with access to the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstrip and the critical Karakoram pass in the north, it is also close to China’s western G-219 highway, which connects the Tibetan Autonomous Region. with Xinjiang.
After fighting broke out in the Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Gogra-Hot Springs areas in May last year, both sides had also amassed additional infantry battalions, as well as mechanized forces in the form of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. in their “deep areas” From the Depsang region.
The PLA has been constantly blocking Indian soldiers from going beyond the “Bottleneck” or “Y Junction” area in Depsang, which is located about 18 km within what India perceives as its territory, to their traditional PPs-10, 11, 11A. , 12 and 13, as previously reported TOI.
Both India and China have highly overlapping claims in the Depsang area, with the latter claiming up to 972 square kilometers of territory. The last major troop clash in Depsang took place in April-May 2013, when the PLA had intruded 19 kilometers through LAC to camp in the Raki Nalla area. Although the then confrontation was resolved after 21 days, tensions have prevailed in the region since then.
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