China asserts 'PLA & Indian Army have disengaged in Galwan Valley' amid standoff at LAC

On Wednesday, Chinese ambassador to India Sun Weidong asserted that both PLA and the Indian Army have disengaged in the Galwan Valley region. The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control was exacerbated when 21 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020, when the de-escalation process was underway. Speaking at a seminar in which CPI's D Raja and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury participated on Wednesday, Weidong called for a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution" to the border dispute.

"The frontier troops of both countries have disengaged in the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Lake areas. We should consolidate the achieved results, find a solution acceptable to both sides on the issue that needs emergency response through negotiation and consultation, gradually move towards regular management and control, in order to further ease the situation and avoid any recurrence of tensions due to misunderstanding and miscalculation. China-India relations are significant to peace and prosperity of the region and the world at large," the Chinese envoy opined. 

Weidong added, "The two countries are partners rather than rivals or enemies. We need to help each other succeed instead of undercutting or even confronting each other. We should correctly view each other's strategic intentions, be committed to the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and mutual respect for each other's core interests."

The LAC faceoff

The Galwan Valley clash was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August 2020. Multiple rounds of military commander-level and WMCC meetings have taken place between the two sides to resolve the crisis. So far, the armies of India and China have disengaged from two places, including north and south of Pangong Tso. On July 14, Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

Recalling their earlier meeting in September 2020, the EAM stressed the need to follow through on the agreement reached then and finish the disengagement at the earliest. Maintaining that prolongation of the existing situation was not in the interest of either side, he admitted that it has had a negative impact on the bilateral relationship. As per the MEA, Jaishankar clearly told Wang that unilateral change in the status quo is not acceptable. The disengagement is yet to be completed in friction points such as Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang.