Chinese army makes fresh incursion bid in Ladakh ahead of Xi's visit

Leh/New Delhi: Chinese army today reportedly made a fresh incursion in Chumar area and refused to return even as a flag-meeting between the two sides is believed to have made no headway in breaking the deadlock. Official sources said that some of the Chinese troops had returned yesterday and it was generally expected that the others would also retreat to their side of the perceived Line of Actual Control (LAC). However, as many as 100 more soldiers of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) arrived from a hillock of Chumar area and strengthened its numbers to nearly 350, the sources said. [caption id=“attachment_1024785” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image used for representational purposes only. AFP[/caption] Surprisingly, the move came barely few hours ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in India on a state visit. India also rushed some more troops in the area and both sides were indulging in repeated banner drill, the sources said. A Brigadier-level flag meeting, second within a week, was held in Chushul, where the issue of intrusion of Chinese troops in Chumar and civilian intrusion in the Demchok area was discussed, the sources said. The sources said it was believed that no breakthrough was achieved and the two sides may be meeting again shortly. Chumar, located more than 300 kms Northeast of Leh and bordering Himachal Pradesh, has been a flash point between the two sides with Chinese making several attempts to end India’s dominance in the area. The PLA has been making repeated bids to claim Chumar as part of Chinese territory but has been thwarted every time by the Indian army. The sources said that vehicular movement on Chinese side was noticed and it was believed that Chinese PLA was indulging in face off tactics only to divert attention of India about construction work being undertaken on their side. Under the agreement between the two sides, any country indulging in defence construction has to inform the other sides. Meanwhile, the stand-off in Demchok where Chinese nomads – Rebos – had pitched their tents continued. The incursion in this area is nearly 500 metres deep into Indian territory, the sources said. PTI