Ladakh faceoff: India, China hold flag meet; ambassador summoned
25 Sep 2014
Amid a continuing border face-off, India and China will hold a flag meeting today in Chushul in Ladakh.
The flag meeting comes on a Chinese request, but India has demanded restoration of the 'pre-September 10' status quo in the Chumar area, defence officers said in New Delhi.
Meanwhile Chinese Ambassador to New Delhi Le Yucheng was summoned today to meet senior officials in the external affairs ministry, even as ministry officials said they have raised the issue of continued standoff in the Demchok and Chumar regions both in Delhi and in Beijing.
New Delhi is working on naming a special representative as demanded by China during President Xi Jingpin's visit to India last week to hold talks on the border issue and demarcation of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
In a repeat of the Depsang incident in Ladakh in April last year, the Chinese side is again demanding the dismantling of some of India's border posts in the Chumar area.
Chinese troops have pitched their tents in Chumar and their helicopters have been seen dropping food packets for PLA soldiers.
Tension in the area erupted two weeks back when some Chinese workers who were constructing a road on their side crossed into the Indian side and also claimed that they had orders to build a road up to Tible, 5 km inside Indian territory.
Chumar was at the centre of the fortnight-long stand-off last year in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) as the Chinese side had objected to overhead bunkers erected by the Indian side.
As part of an agreement reached at the flag meeting to end that impasse in April-May 2013 at DBO, the Indian side had to dismantle some overhead bunkers in the Chumar area (See: Army destroys bunkers as face-off with China ends).
During winter this year, Chinese soldiers attempted to enter the area on horsebacks. The area has witnessed frequent incursion attempts by Chinese troops.