India and China, Four Years into Their Standoff: A Reality Check

A statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the talks said that the “discussions [were] built on the previous rounds, seeking complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh as an essential basis for restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas.” The MEA, India’s army chief, and other Indian officials had stated on s. [...] The rationale behind disengagement of troops and equipment from the friction areas is that it will allow for the overall withdrawal of troops, built up after April 2020, from the LAC as part of de- escalation to end the standoff and restore normalcy. [...] The PLA’s move and the Indian response give a sense of the magnitude of the standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. [...] Learning from the experience of the pre-emptive moves undertaken by the Indian army in August 2020 along the southern bank of Pangong Tso, referred to as Kailash ranges, China is now building a bridge over the Pangong Tso river, connecting the two banks at an altitude of around 4,225 m. [...] The agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the LAC in the India-China Border Areas, signed on 29 November 1996, states that “the two sides shall exchange data on the military forces and armaments to be reduced or limited and decide on ceilings on military forces and armaments to be kept by each side within mutually agreed geographical zones along the LAC in the India.