Indian, Chinese troops disengage at multiple locations in Ladakh, PLA moves back by 2.5 km

The border standoff between India and China has started to ease off with the Chinese troops moving back by about 2.5 kilometres along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), government sources in New Delhi said on Tuesday.

Troops of the two countries have disengaged on the ground at multiple locations in Eastern Ladakh.

This comes three days after India and Chine held top-level talks between military officials. Next round of military talks is scheduled to start this week.

According to sources troops and vehicles moved back by about 2.5 Kms by Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Galwan Area, Patrolling Point 15 and Hot Springs area.

India has also moved some troops back, they said.

Sources confirmed that some disengagement had happened before June 6 talks between top military officials while some took place afterwards.

The dispute, however, remains at some points which are being talked upon by the two sides. They will be the topic of discussion as major general level officials meet to discuss the border tensions on Wednesday or Thursday.

More meetings will take place in the coming days at divisional and brigade commander level.

Earlier on June 6, the Indian delegation led by Lt General Harinder Singh, the general officer commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, and Commander of the Tibet Military District Maj Gen Liu Lin held the extensive meeting in Maldo on the Chinese side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh that lasted for hours.

The high-level military dialogue could not produce any tangible results in ending the confrontation in eastern Ladakh and the two armies continue to be in a standoff.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a bitter face-off in several areas along the LAC for nearly a month.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC and the two nuclear-armed neighbours established the highest level of mechanism to deal with border disputes following 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first informal summit in April 2018 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, months after the Doklam standoff, and the second informal meeting was held last year in the coastal town of Mahabalipuram, almost 50 kilometres south of Chennai.