Talks And Military Buildup Continue Two Years After The Galwan Clashes

Despite the fact that it has been two years since the worst conflict between Indian and Chinese troops in 45 years in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, the two countries are still in discussions to disengage along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). However, there is little sign of a quick resolution to the deadlock.

According to Hindustan Times, the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have undertaken 14 rounds of discussions since the Galwan battles, with one more scheduled before June 15, 2020.

They were only able to remove soldiers from several friction spots along the LAC to a limited extent.

On June 15, 2020, what happened?

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in a deadly fight between the two armies in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15, 2020. According to reports, the clash was one of the worst in 45 years. Tensions began to rise in the weeks leading up to the clash when both militaries scrambled to send additional troops to the border.

China allegedly moved troops into the Indian side of the LAC, according to India. On June 6, local military officers from both armies met for the first time to discuss disengagement. However, a conflict erupted when the Indian Army discovered a Chinese camp in the buffer zone.

Although the PLA initially stated that only four soldiers died in the combat, a report published this year by a group of social media researchers claimed that at least 38 PLA men drowned while crossing a river in the dark, according to the Australian newspaper The Klaxon.

The discussions are still ongoing.

According to Hindustan Times, India and China have made little progress in diplomatic negotiations in the last two years due to a trust imbalance that has plagued the continuing dialogue.

“As long as the talks continue, some progress in disengagement can be expected.” Another source told the newspaper that “it’s difficult to give a date for complete disengagement.”

The most recent meeting took place on May 31, when officials agreed to continue negotiations in the 16th military commanders’ meeting.

On both sides, there are 60k troops and more.

Both the Indian and Chinese armies withdrew frontline soldiers from the Gogra-Hot Springs zone in August 2021. Despite the withdrawal of troops from Pangong Tso, the Gogra-Hot Springs area, and the Galwan Valley, the Ladakh region still has roughly 60,000 troops on both sides.

In the last two years, both India and China have escalated military activities on their respective territories, including infrastructure building, weapon deployment, and army combat manoeuvres.