PLA, Indian troops took 'effective measures' to disengage: China

Beijing: China on Thursday said People's Liberation Army and Indian troops have taken "effective measures" to disengage at the Galwan Valley and other areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and the situation is "stable and improving," days after the two sides agreed on an expeditious withdrawal of soldiers from all the standoff points.

The remarks by Chinese foreign ministry's spokesman Zhao Lijian came a day after people in New Delhi familiar with the developments said that the Chinese military removed all temporary structures and completed the withdrawal of its troops from the face-off site in Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh.

This combination of June 28, left, and July 6, satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Galwan Valley along the disputed border between India and China. June 28 image shows that the Indians had built a wall on their side and the Chinese had expanded an outpost camp at the end of a long road connected to Chinese military bases farther from the poorly defined border, according to experts. July 6 image shows China and India appear to have dismantled recent construction on both the Indian and Chinese sides of a contested border high in the Karakoram mountains following a deadly clash in the area.

Zhao told a media briefing here that following the consensus reached at the commander-level talks, China, India border troops have taken effective measures to disengage at the front-line at the Galwan Valley and other areas.

The situation along the border is stable and improving, he said.

Asked about further talks between the two countries, Zhao said the two sides will continue dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels. The dialogue would also include the meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultations and Coordination (WMCC) on the Sino-Indian border affairs.

We hope New Delhi will work together with us to take concrete action and implement the consensus reached and jointly work for de-escalation along the border, the spokesman added.

The disengagement process of the troops on both sides began on Monday morning after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday.

At the talks, the two sides agreed on an expeditious withdrawal of troops from all the standoff points to bring back peace and tranquility in the region. Doval and Wang are Special Representatives (SR) for the boundary talks.

Government sources in New Delhi said the Chinese military has already removed tents and withdrew its personnel from patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley, the site of violent clashes between the two armies on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it's yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

PTI