China, India hold border disengagement talks

ANKARA

China on Wednesday said it held “candid” talks with India on troops’ disengagement in the disputed Ladakh region of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, state-run media reported.

“On the basis of realizing the disengagement in the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Lake, China and India recently held a candid and in-depth exchange of views on promoting the settlement of the remaining issues in the western section of the border,” Wang Wenbin, the country’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, told a news conference in the capital Beijing, according to Global Times newspaper.

Beijing's latest statement comes amid reports that the People's Liberation Army is deploying advanced long-range rocket systems along its border with India.

Such an advanced system is seen as a deterrent against India, which also moved thousands of its troops to Ladakh from the disputed valley last year.

The two countries are face-to-face along the Line of Actual Control – the de facto border between China and India in the disputed territory.

At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in a clash last June. Tensions eased due to several rounds of talks, and the two sides stepped back. But points of friction remain and full disengagement is yet to be reached.