India-China Dispute

India-China Dispute

TOPIC: Geography

Section: Map

Context- India and China have mutually decided to hold a fresh round of Corps Commander talks at the Indian side of ChushulMoldo Meeting Point on March 11.

Concept-

• The two sides have so far held 14 rounds of talks, with disengagement undertaken on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso (lake), Galwan and Gogra areas.
• The other areas yet to be resolved are Hot Springs, Demchok and Depsang.

Pangong Tso lake:

• Pangong Lake is located in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• It is situated at a height of almost 4,350m and is the world’s highest saltwater lake.
• Extending to almost 160km, one-third of the Pangong Lake lies in India and the other two-thirds in China.

Galwan Valley:

• The valley refers to the land that sits between steep mountains that buffet the Galwan River.
• The river has its source in Aksai Chin, on China’s side of the LAC, and it flows from the east to Ladakh, where it meets the Shyokriver on India’s side of the LAC.
• The valley is strategically located between Ladakh in the west and Aksai Chin in the east, which is currently controlled by China as part of its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Hot Springs and Gogra Post:

• Hot Springs is just north of the Chang Chenmo river and Gogra Post is east of the point where the river takes a hairpin bend coming southeast from Galwan Valley and turning southwest.
• The area is north of the Karakoram Range of mountains, which lies north of the Pangong Tso lake, and south east of Galwan Valley.

Chang Chenmo River:

• Chang Chenmo River or Changchenmo River is a tributary of the ShyokRiver, part of the Indus River system.
• It is at the southern edge of the disputed Aksai Chin region and north of the Pangong Lake basin.
• The source of Chang Chenmo is near the Lanak Pass.