India and China armies have disengaged at most locations, Chinese Foreign Ministry reveals

In a big development pertaining to the LAC faceoff on Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry revealed that armies of both sides had disengaged at most locations. Maintaining that India and China had engaged in comprehensive talks via diplomatic and military channels, it stated that the tensions had considerably eased. It added that the two nations were preparing for the 5th round of commander-level talks. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the Indian and Chinese sides would jointly maintain peace and tranquility. On July 26, Indian Army sources had indicated complete disengagement at Patrolling Point 14, 15, and 17A.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated, "Recently, India and China have conducted intensive communication through military and diplomatic channels, and have held four rounds of commander-level talks and three border affairs consultations and meetings under the coordination mechanism. Frontline border forces of the two countries have disengaged in most locations, and the current situation has considerably improved with eased tensions. At present, China and India are actively preparing for the fifth round of commander-level talks to handle and resolve the remaining problems on the ground. We hope that the Indian side and China will meet each other halfway, implement the consensus reached by both sides, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border area."

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LAC faceoff

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. Both sides have held multiple rounds of diplomatic and military level meetings to resolve the situation. After the visit of PM Modi to Ladakh, there has been a lot of progress on disengagement at the LAC. 

The 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on July 24. While the Indian delegation was led by the Ministry of External Affairs' Joint Secretary (East Asia), the Director-General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented the other side. During the meeting, both sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas and the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC. The two nations recalled that the disengagement process was in accordance with the agreement reached during the telephonic conversation of Special Representatives on July 5, 2020. 

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