China Study Group: A prime-mover on strategic affairs for Indo-China issue

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NEW DELHI

India and China on Monday held the seventh round of high-level military talks with a sole agenda of finalising a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh.

The talks at the Corps commander level began at noon in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, official sources said.

The Indian delegation led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and includes Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA).

The talks in Chushul are underway, the sources said.

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Ahead of the talks, the sources said India pressed for an early and complete disengagement of troops by China from all the friction points besides demanding restoration of immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh before April.

The standoff began on May 5.

Talks are to firm up a roadmap for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh, sources said.

The China Study Group (CSG) comprising Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and three service chiefs on Friday finalised India's strategy for the military talks.

The China Study Group is India's policy-making body on China.

The sources said India strongly oppose any demand by China for withdrawal of Indian troops from several strategic heights on the southern bank of the Pangong lake to kick-start the disengagement process.