India-China face-off: Military talks see no headway, Army ready for long haul in Ladakh

The Indian Army appears to be heading towards a tense standoff with China along the LAC in eastern Ladakh as both countries show no signs of de-escalation despite multiple rounds of talks between top military leaders.

With the India-China faceoff continuing at multiple locations in Ladakh and no breakthrough in talks between their militaries, the Indian Army is ready for a tense long haul at the Line of Actual Control, official sources say.

Both have enhanced troop deployment with more than 1,000 soldiers on each side caught in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation.

Satellite Imagery

New satellite images from the European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed the Chinese troop build-up opposite the ITBP camp near the Pangong Lake in Ladakh.

A comparison of images taken at different times over the last month suggests the movement of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on the other side of LAC. An analysis of images from May 24 also shows possible movement in the water using small boats at a distance of about 3 km from the ITBP camp.

Historical analysis of the images reveals that ITBP has had a permanent camp on the Indian side of the area for many years. These images show signs of a possible Chinese troop presence at a distance at about 2.5 km from the LAC, which was not visible in the imagery from the first week of May 2020.

Chinese Intrusions

There have also been reports of the Chinese trying to make forays into the Indian side but have been stopped by Indian troops. The disengagement took place in Eastern Ladakh after troops came to blows on May 5 and were involved in a faceoff till the morning of May 6.

Military Hotspots

Areas across the Galwan Valley and the Pangong Lake continue to be hotspots where the confrontation continues with no signs of de-escalation.

A close watch is being maintained in the Pangong Tso sector of Eastern Ladakh and the Galwan Valley region where the Chinese have enhanced deployment, sources said. Amid the tension, the Chinese have also enhanced patrolling along the Pangong Lake and increased the numbers of boats deployed.

There are many other vulnerable spots in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim that fall in the eastern sector. On the record though, the army has maintained that there is no continuing faceoff at the Pangong Tso in Eastern Ladakh and there is no build-up of armed troops in the region.