(TibetanReview.net, May22’23) – The Chinese army are already 18km inside India-claimed territory in the Depsang Plains of Ladakh and have been demanding the creation of a 15-20km buffer zone further inside Indian territory as a precondition for agreeing to disengage from the area, reported the telegraphindia.com May 22. “During negotiations, India rejected the demand and instead agreed to a 3-4km buffer zone, but the Chinese refused to budge,” the official has said. The widest of the existing buffer zones in eastern Ladakh — which entailed the Chinese stepping back a few kilometres while remaining within India-claimed lines, and the Indians retreating an equal distance — is 10km. Their creation has prompted military veterans to accuse New Delhi of “capitulating” and ceding more territory to the Chinese, the report noted. “The Chinese army is already entrenched 18km inside India-claimed lines and now wants a buffer zone of another 15-20km.

Source: The Telegraph May 22, 2023 17:03 UTC