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The overall situation at friction points in eastern Ladakh remains unchanged and continues to be tense, four days after foreign ministers of India and China agreed on a five-point plan to resolve the prolonged border standoff, government sources said on Monday.
The sources according to a news agency report, also said both the Indian and Chinese troops are firmly holding onto their respective positions at the Line of Actual Control(LAC). They said while the situation in the region continues to be tense no fresh movement of Chinese troops was witnessed.
The Indian Army will not lower its guard and will maintain the current state of very high-level of combat readiness in eastern Ladakh till there are visible changes in the ground situation, the sources added.
The sources said the date for the much-anticipated Corps commander-level talks between the two armies is yet to be firmed up but it is likely to take place in the next few days. The military talks are expected to focus on implementation of certain provisions of the five-point consensus to ease tensions.
India and China reached an agreement to resolve their border row at a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow last Thursday on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet. The agreement included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.
It also mentioned that the two sides should expedite work to conclude “new confidence building measures” to enhance peace and tranquillity in the border areas. However, the agreement has not mentioned any timeline for disengagement of troops. Meanwhile, Chinese envoy Sun Weidong, referring to consensus reached during previous talks between leaders of the two countries, said both sides should “pursue win-win cooperation” instead of “zero-sum game”.
