India unmoved by China LAC narrative

As the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) enters its fourth year, India is in no mood to acquiesce to China’s recent efforts to promote a narrative that the situation in the Ladakh sector is stable and moving toward “normalised management", people familiar with the matter said.

- Rezaul H Laskar, Rahul Singh

 

The border row in eastern Ladakh erupted into an open skirmish between troops of the two sides at Pangong Lake in early May 2020. A brutal clash at Galwan Valley the following month, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers, took bilateral ties to their lowest in six decades.

The resolution of outstanding problems along the LAC appears elusive, with the latest round of military talks between the two sides on 23 April yielding no outcome. The last breakthrough was in September 2022.