India and China are set to hold the 10th round of Corps Commander level talks on Saturday. Reports suggest that after carrying out the disengagement from both the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, the two countries will hold talks at 10 am on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Moldo. During the tenth round, the Corps Commanders are expected to discuss other friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra, and 900 square km Depsang Plains.
The disengagement of troops of the Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army from the Line of Actual Control was reached after sustained negotiations at the military and diplomatic level, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last week.
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Last week, defence minister Rajnath Singh briefed both the houses of parliament about the agreement to disengage and withdrawal of forces – on both the side – in phases. According to some reports, the commanders of the countries will discuss disengagement from other friction points after disengagement from both Northern and Southern banks of Pangong Lake.
While briefing the press, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "This agreement was reached after several rounds of sustained negotiations at the military and diplomatic level." Srivastava further added that the post-disengagement, the next step has been "clearly spelt-out" by DM Rajnath Singh in his speech at the Parliament.
During his briefing, last week, Rajnath Singh mentioned in the Parliament, “By now, the Chinese side is also fully aware of our resolve. It is therefore our expectation that the Chinese side will work with us in full sincerity to resolve these remaining issues.”
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On Friday, for the first time, China accepted that they lost soldiers and honoured its four PLA soldiers killed and one injured during clashes with the Indian counterpart at Galwan.
On August 30, 2020, India had occupied critical mountain heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake - Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari, and Tabletop. The two countries have had a stand-off along the LAC since April-May last year.
(With Inputs from IANS)
