India China border / Situation in eastern Ladakh has eased 'distinctly': Chinese military

Beijing: The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh has eased “distinctly” after the withdrawal of border troops from Pangong Lake, the Chinese military said on Thursday.

It, however, gave no indication about the complete disengagement of frontline soldiers from all friction points in the area.

India has repeatedly said that the complete withdrawal of Chinese troops from all points of conflict is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility along the disputed border.

New Delhi and Beijing are cautiously attempting to emerge from the worst border conflict in decades, which saw soldiers dying on both sides.

Several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have been held since last year but disagreements exist; disengagement is yet to take place in the remaining areas including at Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra areas.

“Thanks to the joint efforts made by China and India, the situation in the border area has been eased distinctly”, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a Chinese defence ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Ren added that at present China and India have disengaged front-line troops in the Pangong Lake area.

Both sides have agreed to maintain communication through military and diplomatic channels to promote the settlement of other issues in the west section of the China-India boundary, Ren was quoted as saying by the Chinese military-run China Military Online.

China hopes the two sides could value the hard-won results, maintain dialogue and communication and stabilise the situation against relapse and gradually reach a resolution, which can be accepted by the two countries to jointly maintain peace in the border area, he said.

Asked to comment on the Quad, Ren said China is firmly opposed to the Quad alliance consisting of the US, India, Australia and Japan.

Ren said China firmly opposed the four-side mechanism promoted by the US as it adheres to the “Cold War mentality”.

He was responding to a question on the recent Quad summit and reported remarks by US national security advisor Jake Sullivan stating that the four leaders discussed the “challenges” posed by China.

The virtual summit was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

The Quad mechanism believes in group confrontation, is keen on geopolitical games, and uses the so-called “China challenge” as an excuse to “form cliques” and openly provoke relations between regional countries.

“We are firmly opposed to this,” Ren said.