China Study Group meeting discusses Eastern Ladakh situation, military talks output
Aug 04, 2020
New Delhi [India], Aug 4 : A meeting of the China Study Group (CSG) including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was held on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing dispute with China in Eastern Ladakh and issues raised during the Corps Commander-level talks held on Sunday.
The meeting of the CSG was convened today after the meeting of the two Corps Commanders from India and China on Sunday where the issue of disengagement of Chinese troops from Finger area was taken up, sources said.
The CSG had last met on July 28 to discuss the agenda and direction of the Corps Commander-level talks.
India has been firm on asking the Chinese troops to move back from the Finger area and disengage completely before discussing de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The CSG includes important members of the government along with representatives of the military and other government agencies concerned.
In the military talks, India has not been asking for de-escalation as India has also deployed close to 40,000 troops in the Eastern Ladakh sector where they are facing the Chinese side, which has also amassed close to 40,000 troops opposite Indian territory there.
After the massive build-up by China on the Indian border, the Indian Army has also moved its mountain divisions from two locations along with armoured columns deployed around Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, sources said.
With its own deployments matching the Chinese deployments, India is now not in a hurry to deescalate and wants that the Chinese should honour their commitments made during the Corps Commander-level talks held on July 14/15 and go back to their permanent locations.
In the Finger area, the Chinese side had started disengagement after the last talks but the process was completely stopped after 2-3 days there.
The four friction points include Patrolling Point-14, PP-15, PP-17-PP-17A and Finger area.
India is preparing for the long haul as it has started stocking for the harsh winters approaching the Ladakh area.
For winter deployment, the Army already has a sizeable stock of clothes and habitat for troops as it has deployed troops at the world's highest battlefield Siachen glacier who are prepared.
