After several rounds of disengagement talks at different levels, China has not put its words into action. According to government sources, Chinese forces still remain in the Finger 5 area of the Pangong Tso lake. Though there has been some ‘thinning’, sources from the government reportedly said.
“Next few days will be crucial”. government sources said.
Earlier, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a ‘frank and in-depth exchange of views’ regarding the recent developments in the western sector of India-China border areas. Both sides agreed to expeditiously complete the disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The statement issued by the India’s Ministry of External Affaris observed that both sides should observe and respect the LAC and not take unilateral action that will alter the status quo and work together to avoid any incident that could disturb peace and tranquillity along the border.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also confirmed the de-escalation and said on July 6 that progress has been made on frontline troops taking effective measures to disengage and ease tensions.
As a first sign of de-escalation, the Chinese PLA withdrew its troops from the Galwan Valley as decided during the high level talks between the two militaries. However, it seems that they have not withdrawn from Finger 5 area of the Pangong Tso.
Meanwhile on July 20, a jointed naval exercise called dubbed as the ‘mini-Malabar’ took place in Indian Ocean. The US Navy’s USS Nimitz – a carrier battle group conducted a PASSEX (passage exercise) along with the Indian Navy’s INS Sahyadri, INS Shivalik, INS Kamorta and INS Rana warships near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.