The Chinese army claimed for a demand to create a 15-20km buffer zone inside India, inorder to claim lines on the historic Depsang Plains as a necessary condition for disengagement in order to refuse India’s offer of 3-4km demilitarised strip which has been regarded as one of the sources in the security establishment already.

“The Chinese want a buffer zone with a width of 15-20km inside Indian territory as part of the disengagement process” said an official from the intelligence wing of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) .

The width of the existing buffer zones located in the Eastern Ladakh has entailed the Chinese stepping back in a few kilometres while remaining within Indian claimed lines with an equal distance of 10km. This creation has prompted military veterans to accuse New Delhi of “capitulating” and ceding more territories to the Chinese.

The ITBP official said that “The Chinese made the latest demand during the 18th round of corps commander talks last month, and reiterated it during subsequent military talks at lower levels”.The Chinese army have already entrenched 18km inside Indian buffer zone of another 15-20km. It’s really apparent to believe that they are working aggressively to establish a revise status along the Line of Actual Control in the region.

As the Depsang Plains is the only friction point where no disengagement has taken place since the Chinese transgressed so India is claiming lines in eastern Ladakh in May 2020. A defence ministry official said “India had rejected China’s “unjust demand and that negotiations were on to resolve further for the standoff.”