TENSIONS PERSIST IN DEMCHOK, DEPSANG, INDIA-CHINA TALKS ON

While Indian and Chinese soldiers are respecting the contours of the mutually agreed buffer zone in other places, these specific areas remain unresolved.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Despite gradual improvements on the India-China border since the clash at Galwan on 15 June 2020, which occurred three years ago, the unresolved issues at Demchok (Eastern Ladakh) and Depsang (Northern Ladakh) continue to linger. While Indian and Chinese troops are respecting the contours of the mutually agreed buffer zone in other places, these specific areas remain unresolved.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops, while going back to their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in all other regions, are reluctant to apply the same wisdom in these two areas (Demchok) and (Depsang) and are continuing to restrict the patrol movement of Indian troops to patrol points where they would go earlier.

India claims both these areas as something which falls inside its territory, something that China is refusing to accept in a region where almost nothing is demarcated on the ground and claims and counterclaims are made on the basis of which of the two forces were patrolling the area traditionally.

China wants India to accept the status quo and “move on”, something that the Indian side is not going to accept. Sources said a “state of heightened activities” was how things can be described in these two regions. The “positive” thing, sources said, was that talks have not been discontinued on the ground and that shows that both sides want to establish normal ties and China has realised that its unilateral attempt to change things on the ground by sending troops is not acceptable and will not go unchallenged.