The Indian and Chinese militaries are about to implement a border withdrawal plan under the principle of reciprocity, China’s state media claimed in a news report on Friday. The report, published by Global Times, a tabloid of the Communist Party of China, also claimed that the withdrawal plan requires India to first remove its soldiers from sticking points in eastern Ladakh. Citing anonymous sources, the tabloid said China will consider disconnecting its army from the north side of the Pangong Tso once the Indian army withdraws.
“India should first withdraw personnel who illegally crossed the line on the south side of Pangong Tso Lake, and China will then consider disconnecting on the north side of the lake,” sources told the tabloid published by the People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party. from the official newspaper of China.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests from the Hindustan Times for comment on the report in the Global Times.
There has been no formal response from New Delhi to the claim reported by Chinese state media. But India had made it clear just after the initial rounds of diplomatic and military talks that since Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops were the first to provoke, Indian troops could not be expected to be the first to give a Step back. Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. YK Joshi told reporters in July that the Army would continue all efforts to restore the status quo ante (the situation as it existed in early April) along the Line. Real Control.
Also Read: Indian Army and PLA Consider Increasing Disengagement at Ladakh Border
The Global Times report published on Friday was an updated version of a report published a day earlier in the same tabloid, which denied Indian media reports of “detailed arrangements for a plan to withdraw the two armies,” as considered “. inaccurate. “
The two nuclear powers have been locked in a border dispute for more than five months, and several rounds of diplomatic and military talks failed to produce a breakthrough.
Indian officials, after the latest round of talks, confirmed that the two sides were considering a proposal for the gradual withdrawal of troops and military equipment in the sensitive Pangong Tso sector as part of a broader withdrawal plan to reduce tensions. at the Ladakh theater. If this proposal passes, it will be the first significant move in the negotiations in more than four months: the disengagement in the Galwan Valley took place in early July, but made no progress in other areas.
The proposal was first discussed on November 6 during the eighth round of military talks between officers with the rank of corps commander of the two armies in the Chushul sector.
China’s defense and foreign ministries have not commented on the details said to have been discussed during the military talks on November 6, the eighth round of negotiations between the armed forces.
In a statement to the Hindustan Times dated November 10, China’s Foreign Ministry said that “… there was a frank, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on the issue of disengagement in the western section of the border. between China and India “, during the Talks on November 6.
“The two sides agreed to conscientiously implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, ensure that the front-line forces exercise restraint and avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments,” the statement said.
To a specific question on whether the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops deployed on the border with India were facing problems due to the harsh winter, the statement from the Foreign Ministry said that it was “not a problem” for the Chinese army.
A five-point roadmap agreed by Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi on September 10 had mapped out the way forward to defuse the current tension at the border: Dialogue aimed at rapid disconnection, maintaining the appropriate distance between troops of the two parties and alleviating tensions, abiding by all agreements and protocols on border management, continuing the dialogue through the mechanism of Special Representatives and the WMCC, and working on new measures to promote confidence once the situation improves.
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