Third India-China military-level talks to be held at Moldo on June 30: Sources

Indian and Chinese militaries will hold their third round of talks on Tuesday at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Chushul sector in eastern Ladakh, sources have told Republic TV. The two earlier round of talks were comprehensive and intense negotiations that lasted for hours. The engagement is an attempt to cool tensions following the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead.

In the previous Lt General-level talks on June 22, sources had said that India 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. The talks had lasted for as many as 11 hours. The Indian delegation at the talks is being led by 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh while the Chinese side was to be headed by the Commander of the Tibet Military District.

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India-China tensions

Slamming China's incursion into Indian territory at the LAC, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had asserted that the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties which reflected its intent to 'change facts' on the ground in violation of the previous agreements reached during his telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

China, on the other hand, has now staked claim over the entire Galwan Valley. It has also maintained that the Indian Army "broke the consensus and crossed the Line of Actual Control, deliberately provoking and attacking Chinese officers and soldiers", leading to violence. Currently, both countries have disengaged at LAC, while talks via diplomatic channels and Army-level continue.

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What happened at Galwan?

20 Indian Army soldiers including Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on Monday night while the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. Colonel Santosh Babu and two jawans were attacked by Chinese Army personnel with iron rods while removing a tent put up by China at patrol point 14, leading to hand-to-hand combat. While three soldiers were killed in action, 17 others succumbed to their injuries and hypothermia.

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