India and China Complete Phase 1 Withdrawal in Border Dispute Area

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Indian and Chinese troops, who suffered casualties in an accidental clash at the border last month, have completed the first phase of withdrawal from the frontline dispute areas, Indian media including The Economic Times reported on the 10th.

According to The Economic Times, the Chinese military completed withdrawal from three major border dispute areas including the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, where the clash occurred, as well as the nearby Gogra and hot spring areas. The Indian military also withdrew its troops about 1.5 to 2 km back from the area, similar to the Chinese side, creating a buffer zone approximately 3 km wide in the dispute area. Additionally, the Chinese military has begun withdrawing near Pangong Lake in Ladakh, another dispute area where multiple clashes with Indian troops have occurred. Pangong Lake is a region under divided control by India and China, where brawls between soldiers took place in August 2017 and again in early May this year.

Earlier, on the night of the 15th of last month, about 600 Chinese and Indian soldiers clashed violently in the Galwan Valley, resulting in dozens of casualties. The Indian Army announced that 20 of its soldiers died in the clash, while the Chinese side did not disclose the extent of their casualties but it is known that there were also casualties. Subsequently, both sides held a high-level military meeting on the 22nd and a corps commander-level meeting on the 30th of the same month, agreeing to withdraw frontline border troops.

India and China plan to hold additional corps commander-level military talks starting next week. It is reported that both sides intend to review the troop withdrawal status and discuss further measures to ease tensions during these talks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.