From Indian Army chief’s visit to joint secretary-level meeting: Here are top news updates on India-China border row

The friction between India-China following the dangerious border faceoff in more than 45 years, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley last week, is still boiling.

Both the nations have convened many meetings to find a solotion to the confrontation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). An additional meeting will take place today.

Latest updates on the India-China border row:

* Members of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC) will come together and try to settle the stand-off at four points in eastern Ladakh.

* In the time of joint secretary-level meeting, India will have maps and charts ready and revoke to old treaties to make their point about how the claim made by the Chinese Army on the border is wrong and why the status quo ante must be reinstated for a strong bilateral relation.

* Indian Army chief General MM Naravane, who is on a two-day visit to Ladakh, will visit the forward locations in the eastern Ladakh on Wednesday, as stated by ANI. Indian Army Chief will also talk to troops on the ground there.

* Citing US intelligence analysis, news agency ANI further reported that a senior Chinese general authorised his forces to attack Indian troops in the Ladakh’s Galwan valley last week, leading to a deadly skirmish that killed many and escalated tensions between India-China.

* Ahead of today’s talks, an 11-hour meeting between top commanders at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC was held on Monday to ease tensions and thin the military build-up on both sides of the border. Indian and Chinese army commanders reached a “mutual consensus to disengage” from all “friction areas” along the LAC.

* According to experts the restoration of status quo in the Finger Area on the north bank of Ladakh’s Pangong Tso will decide the success of efforts to ease tensions along the border.

* The Chinese Army has set up bunkers, pillboxes and observation posts between Fingers Four and Eight and getting it to dismanle those structures and move back to their original positions at Finger Eight will be the hardest part of the process, said an official asking not to be named. The Finger Area refers to a set of eight cliffs jutting out of the Sirijap range that overlooks the Pangong Lake.

* India has intensified technical drone monitoring of the area and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has installed more battalions in the sector.

* India has also deployed its specialised high-altitude forces along LAC in order to keep out any contraventions in the western, middle or eastern sectors, said officail.

* The Galwan Valley clash led to 20 deaths on the Indian side and China suffered 43 casualties, as per Indian officials, but Beijing has not confirmed the fatalities. A Chinese spokesperson on Tuesday turned down such reports as “fake news”.

* China had installed up to 10,000 troops in these areas along with the military buildup which includes fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, artillery guns, missile systems and air defence radars. India has matched the neighbour’s military moves.

Also Read: Army Chief on visit to forward locations in Eastern Ladakh, to interact with troops