Chinese media reports – India and China started withdrawing troops from Easten Ladakh’s troubled areas

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to make a statement in Parliament on Thursday

Chinese media – Global Times – on Wednesday afternoon said China’s Defense Ministry announced the frontline troops of China and India at the south and north banks of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh started synchronised and organised disengagement. There was no comment from the Indian side on the statement made by the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defence, Senior Colonel Wu Qian. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to make an announcement in the Parliament on Thursday morning.

“The Chinese and Indian frontline troops at the southern and northern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake start synchronised and organised disengagement from February 10,” Wu said in a brief statement. Reacting to the Chinese defence ministry’s statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that according to the consensus reached at the Chinese and Indian Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Moscow and the 9th round of commander-level talks between the two sides, the front-line troops of the Chinese and Indian militaries began to conduct simultaneous and planned disengagement in the Pangong Lake area on February 10.

“We hope the Indian side will work with China to meet each other halfway, strictly implement the consensus reached between the two sides and ensure the smooth implementation of the disengagement process,” Wang said in a separate statement. “This move is in accordance with the consensus reached by both sides at the 9th round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting,” the statement added.

On January 24, the 9th round of China-India Corps Commander-level meeting was held on the Chinese side of the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point. Global Times reported in detail about the Chinese announcement on Wednesday afternoon. “The Chinese and Indian armies started to disengage simultaneously on Wednesday after a months-long border standoff, and Chinese experts hailed the move as a key breakthrough that will ease border tensions and hopefully lead to peace and stability.

“Frontline troops of the Chinese and Indian armies stationed at the southern and northern banks of the Pangong Tso began simultaneous, scheduled disengagement on Wednesday, in accordance to a consensus reached during the ninth round of corps commander-level meeting, Wu Qian, a spokesperson at China’s Ministry of National Defense, announced in a statement on the same day,” said Global Time’s report. The detailed report can be read here[1].

References:

[1] China, India armies disengage, ‘breakthrough in returning to peace’ – Feb 10, 2021, Global Times