India plans to push the Chinese side for an exchange of maps in the western sector after the process of disengagement and deescalation is complete and Indian troops go back to their old patrolling posts. Government officials said this would clarify each other’s claim lines and actual control, which would make management and patrolling protocols easier.
China has so far refused to exchange maps in this sector. Even after 22 rounds of talks on the boundary question, it has shown no inclination to exchange maps or clarify the LAC, having exchanged maps for only the central sector. While a resolution of the boundary question is a distance away, the Galwan clashes, India hopes, is sufficient reason to clarify this sector. China’s reluctance to exchange maps led to the suspicion that they want to keep it burning so that they will be able to change the situation on the ground.
Sources said that disengagement was currently underway to get both countries to move their troops back from the forward positions they had moved to in the past few months. This is being monitored closely, certainly by India. This is expected to be followed by a deescalation by moving back troops and weapons from what is called forward areas. “It’s not as if we’re conceding territory to them,” an official involved in the negotiations said. The process is expected to take some time.
Complete disengagement
Days before the next round of military commander -level talks, India said that both sides agreed to ensure complete disengagement and de-escalation. Keeping a close eye on the disengagement in eastern Ladakh, senior officials from India and China met virtually to talk through the details of the exercise. “They reaffirmed that both sides will ensure complete disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols,” the Indian statement said in line with the understanding reached between foreign ministers and special representatives.
The two sides “agreed it was necessary for both sides to sincerely implement the understandings reached between senior commanders. As agreed by the two SRs (NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi), senior commanders will meet soon to discuss further steps so as to ensure complete disengagement and deescalation in a timely manner". Once again, the statement recorded that India and China "agreed that for the overall development of bilateral relations, it was essential to maintain enduring peace and tranquillity in the border areas".
Earlier, the foreign ministry spokesperson said that Doval, in his conversation with Wang Yi on July 5, had said, "Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border management and, at the same time, our forces were deeply committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and security."
