Chinese military seems to have inscribed a massive Mandarin signage and China’s map onto the ground they have occupied in the contested Fingers areas of Ladakh's Pangong Tso. The Mandarin signage appears to say "China".
The ground inscriptions located between 'Finger 4' and 'Finger 5' along the lake, reportedly measure approximately 25 metres in breadth and 81 metres in length. These can also be spotted in satellite imagery.
Currently, both sides are in locked in a stand-off at Finger 4 of Pangong Tso along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The ‘Finger area’ of Pangong Tso is made up of spurs that rise along the bank of the lake. According to India, the LAC is situated at Finger 8. The large swath of land between Finger 4 and 8 used to be patrolled by both sides before tensions escalated in May.
Interesting detail in the @planetlabs images via @IndiaToday & @rahulkanwal of the #PangongTso lake, a possible map of #China appears to have been designed into the ground here https://t.co/EctWVy26rR#indiachinastandoff cc @Nrg8000 pic.twitter.com/24qfT0TbTq— d-atis (@detresfa_) June 29, 2020
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the satellite imagery.
It was earlier reported that, in a bid to de-escalate matters in the Finger areas, China has reportedly proposed that Indian forces move back to Finger 2 as a pre-condition to Chinese troops withdrawing to Finger 6. The proposal is being seen as untenable by India. The Indian position has been that status quo ante should be restored as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been the aggressor.
Reports suggest that the situation in Ladakh — in Hot Springs, the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso — has remained largely unchanged for several weeks even as thousands of troops on both sides of the LAC are locked in a stand-off.
Tensions along the LAC had been rising since early May amid a stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers. However, the tensions escalated to another level after 20 Indian Army soldiers, including an officer, were killed in a violent face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15-16.
There were casualties on the Chinese side too. However, that number is not clear.
Read our complete coverage on the India-China border tension
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