Ahead of winter, India and China ground commanders have been holding interactions to rule out any incident as troop deployments are readjusted for the upcoming harsh months.

This is the fourth winter since the start of the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh between India and China.?

“Several agenda-based interactions have been taking place at multiple points along the LAC for nearly 10 days now between local commanders at the levels of brigade and below to sort out minor issues that may have cropped up and to prevent any incident during the winter months,”IE reported.

It added: “More such meetings are likely to take place over the next few weeks.”

This is among the various confidence-building measures (CBMs) which were discussed during the Corps Commander-level talks between the two sides.

It said: “Other CBMs discussed in the last few rounds of military talks were adherence to existing border protocols and advance sharing of patrol information to avoid clashes on ground.”

The report quoting sources said the Indian Army, in the last fortnight, has already started moving into its winter posture.?

“They say another round of high-level military talks is expected to take place before the start of summer,” it said.

“Even as these CBMs are being implemented along the LAC, the Army has continued to maintain adequate reserves in the depth areas as part of preparations to deal with any contingency that may crop up,” the report quoted a source as having said.

In September 2022, both sides pulled back troops to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of eastern Ladakh, marking a major step in the standoff which began in May 2020.

Friction points such as Galwan Valley, north and south banks of Pangong Tso and the Gogra-Hot Springs area have seen some resolution in the last three years with the creation of buffer zones.

However, legacy friction points such as Depsang Plains and Demchok are yet to see any disengagement, it mentioned.
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