India-China Corps Commander-level talks on Pangong concludes after 14.5 hours

The Corps-Commanders’ level talks between India and China that started at 11.30 AM on Tuesday went on for almost 14.5 hours and ended at 2 AM on Wednesday. The meeting took place at Chushul in Eastern Ladakh and is the fourth military-level talks between India and China. After the violent Galwan valley clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred and the Chinese side also suffered casualties, both sides had decided that talks will continue to effectively continue the disengagement process. As per sources, the talks on Wednesday included a discussion on Pangong lake. 

In major progress in de-escalation, the Chinese Army vacated and retreated from the finger four areas on Monday, as per sources. The fingers which refer to the peaks extending up to the banks of Pangong Tso Lake. According to reports, India claims to patrol rights from 'Finger 1' to 'Finger 8' while China claims from 'Finger 8' to 'Finger 4'. The Galwan violent faceoff between the two armies on June 15 occurred at Finger 4 in which 20 of the Indian Army soldiers including a commanding rank officer were martyred in the skirmish.

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India-China diplomatic talks reaffirm disengagement

Apart from military-level talks, India and China have issued statements reaffirming both countries' agreement to 'ensure complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)'. Both countries have agreed to the same as troops deployed along LAC were very close to each other.  More talks between diplomatic and military officials under the existing framework were also agreed upon.

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China pulls back

On July 6, the Chinese Army removed tents from Patrol point 14, -- the place where the Galwan Valley faceoff took place and moved back by 1 km. Moreover, sources said that the rearward movement of vehicles of Chinese troops was seen in the general area of Galwan and Gogra Hot Springs. India has demanded a return to the status quo in April, asking the Chinese to remove the additional buildup done in the Galwan and Pangong Tso areas. 

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