LAC standoff: India raises issue of build-up of Chinese troops during talks

India and China discussed the issue of heavy build-up of troops by the People's Liberation Army along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh during the talks between their military commanders held on Saturday, sources said.

"During the talks held in Moldo on the Chinese side of Line of Actual Control, the Indian side raised the issue of heavy build-up of troops by the Chinese Army in Eastern Ladakh," a source said here.

China has moved its troops along the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh areas including the Finger area, Pangong Tso Lake, and Galwan Nala area. The meeting between military commanders was to discuss and resolve the stand-off in Eastern Ladakh.

The Indian delegation led by 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh returned to Leh after holding talks and a detailed report was received by the Army Headquarters at the meeting late evening.

The Army Headquarters' Directorate General of Military Operations has also briefed the Ministry of External Affairs and other concerned government officials about the discussions. An official statement was expected on Saturday evening but now it is expected to come out by tomorrow, sources said.

The talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders began today at around 11.30 am in Moldo, almost two hours behind the earlier schedule. Lt Gen Harinder Singh met his Chinese equivalent Maj Gen Liu Lin, who is the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of Chinese People's Liberation Army, to address the ongoing tussle in Eastern Ladakh.

The two sides have held close to a dozen rounds of talks since the first week of May when the Chinese sent over 5,000 troops along the LAC.

On Friday, officials of India and China interacted through video-conferencing with the two sides agreeing that they should handle "their differences through peaceful discussion" while respecting each other's sensitivities and concerns and not allowing them to become disputes in accordance with the guidance provided by the leadership.

In the last few days, there has not been any major movement of the PLA troops at the multiple sites where it has stationed itself along the LAC opposite Indian forces.

The Chinese Army's intent to carry out deeper incursions was checked by the Indian security forces by quick deployment.

The Chinese have also brought in heavy vehicles with artillery guns and infantry combat vehicles in their rear positions close to the Indian territory.