With disengagement being top focus, 12-hour-long India-China military talks end

The third round of the India-China military talks on Tuesday lasted 12 hours, with the focus being on defining the details of disengagement. The talks between the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and the commander of the South Xinjiang military region, Major General Liu Lin, come even as tensions continue between India and China after the deadly face-off last week that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

Sources said, "There are four pockets of friction right now. Only a slight reduction of troops on these, which is minuscule."

Both sides had agreed on disengagement after the June 6 Corps Commander-level meet, but China attempted to unilaterally change the situation on the ground on June 15 that led to the violent face-off.

"Concentration and mobilisation of troops continue and has not shown any signs of abating," sources said, highlighting that it will be "a long haul, well into the winter".

The second round of the Corps Commande-level meet happened on June 22. The diplomatic talks are also expected to happen soon.

During the 15th round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) last week, both sides agreed to maintain communication.

"The two sides also agreed to maintain communication both at diplomatic and military levels including under the framework of WMCC to resolve the existing situation peacefully," the agreement detailed.