Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reviewed the overall security scenario in eastern Ladakh amid the ongoing talks between India and China on the disengagement process in the high-altitude region, people familiar with the developments said.

The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.

The sources said all important aspects of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh were discussed in great detail.

The meeting also deliberated on the future course of approach in dealing with the situation, they added.

The analysis comes in the wake of the assessment by the Army that the Chinese military is not serious about the resolution of the border conflict in eastern Ladakh. There has been a stalemate in the military talks as the Indian Army was strongly insisting that the Chinese side must restore the status quo ante of April this year to resolve the over three-month-old row.

The Indian Army has clearly stated to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) that "shifting" of the Line of Actual Control is not acceptable to it, the sources said adding Chinese military is now desperately attempting to give "ex post facto strategic meaning" to its actions in eastern Ladakh.

"Due to the strong response of the Indian Army, the PLA is faced with unanticipated and unintended consequences of his misadventure," said a source, adding it is looking for a "face-saving exit strategy".

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made in resolution of the border row in eastern Ladakh.

On Thursday, the two sides held another round of diplomatic talks following which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said they had agreed to resolve outstanding issues in an "expeditious manner" and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols.

However, the sources said the meeting could not produce any significant outcome. The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area. However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.

The Chinese military has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas, sources said.

In the five rounds of corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

Even as both sides have been engaged in diplomatic and military talks, the Indian Army is making elaborate preparation to maintain its current strength of troops in all key areas in eastern Ladakh in the harsh winter months.

Army Chief Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to keep up a significantly high state of alertness and maintain the aggressive posturing to deal with any Chinese "misadventure", the sources said.

The Army is also in the process of procuring a number of weapons, ammunition and winter gears for the frontline troops, they added. The temperature in some of the high-altitude areas along the LAC drops to minus 25 degrees Celsius in the winter months.

The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details.

According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government gave the armed forces "full freedom" to give a "befitting" response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC.

The Army sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes. The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reviewed the overall security scenario in eastern Ladakh amid the ongoing talks between India and China on the disengagement process in the high-altitude region, people familiar with the developments said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reviewed the overall security scenario in eastern Ladakh amid the ongoing talks between India and China on the disengagement process in the high-altitude region, people familiar with the developments said. The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria. The sources said all important aspects of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh were discussed in great detail. The meeting also deliberated on the future course of approach in dealing with the situation, they added. The analysis comes in the wake of the assessment by the Army that the Chinese military is not serious about the resolution of the border conflict in eastern Ladakh. There has been a stalemate in the military talks as the Indian Army was strongly insisting that the Chinese side must restore the status quo ante of April this year to resolve the over three-month-old row. The Indian Army has clearly stated to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) that "shifting" of the Line of Actual Control is not acceptable to it, the sources said adding Chinese military is now desperately attempting to give "ex post facto strategic meaning" to its actions in eastern Ladakh. "Due to the strong response of the Indian Army, the PLA is faced with unanticipated and unintended consequences of his misadventure," said a source, adding it is looking for a "face-saving exit strategy". India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made in resolution of the border row in eastern Ladakh. On Thursday, the two sides held another round of diplomatic talks following which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said they had agreed to resolve outstanding issues in an "expeditious manner" and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols. However, the sources said the meeting could not produce any significant outcome. The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area. However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July. The Chinese military has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas, sources said. In the five rounds of corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. Even as both sides have been engaged in diplomatic and military talks, the Indian Army is making elaborate preparation to maintain its current strength of troops in all key areas in eastern Ladakh in the harsh winter months. Army Chief Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to keep up a significantly high state of alertness and maintain the aggressive posturing to deal with any Chinese "misadventure", the sources said. The Army is also in the process of procuring a number of weapons, ammunition and winter gears for the frontline troops, they added. The temperature in some of the high-altitude areas along the LAC drops to minus 25 degrees Celsius in the winter months. The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government gave the armed forces "full freedom" to give a "befitting" response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC. The Army sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes. The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases.

India-China standoff: Rajnath Singh reviews security in eastern Ladakh with defence chiefs

'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst' is a phrase that was coined in the 18th century but is still relevant, especially in the present circumstances on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

LAC is the&nbsp;undefined border dividing India and China — the two nuclear-armed Asian giants. The last 30 days have been among the most tense months in the history of LAC as&nbsp;20 Indian troops died in action in the Galwan skirmish on June 15.

Since then, there have been multiple rounds of talks, rhetorics and top level visits. However, not much of this has resulted in&nbsp;de-escalation along the LAC.

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The first problem is China, till now has not&nbsp;revealed any casualty numbers. But what is almost unprecedented is India's approach to the stand-off.

Indian government knows it is dealing with a difficult neighbour. So, while it is sending a message of peace, it is not mincing its words while warning China against future provocation. India is also setting new traditions and preparing for the worst.

On July 03, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Indian troops at Ladakh, which is a rare sighting in our country. Modi&nbsp;sent a message of peace from Ladakh but&nbsp;also hinted to Biejing that&nbsp;the age of expansionism is over.

After PM Modi, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also visited Ladakh along with top defence officials on Friday morning to review the ground situation. He visited forward military locations and interacted with the troops.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-economy-suffers-after-covid-19-huawei-trouble-and-tiktok-ban-314107">Also read:&nbsp;Chinese economy suffers after COVID-19, Huawei trouble and TikTok ban</a>

The Defence Minister also addressed Indian soldiers at the Lukung post near the Pangong lake. His message had the same tone as that of the Prime Minister. He&nbsp;said that India believes in vasudhaiva kutumbakam&nbsp;— the world is one family — but India is not shy of giving a befitting reply to any provocation.

"We do not want unrest, we want peace. It has not been our nature to hurt any country's pride. If any attempt is made to hurt India's pride, it won't be tolerated. We will give a befitting reply," he said.

"Whatever talks have happened so &nbsp;far, the matter should get resolved. But to what extent it would be resolved, I cannot guarantee," he added,

From tanks carrying out military exercises to&nbsp;para drops by Indian troops, Indian military might was at display this morning.

Beijing, of course, was watching all of this. China has promised peace, but the actions do not match the words.

There has been a pull back at patrolling points 14, 15, and 17-a. Indian troops and the PLA have created a bufffer zone of 1 to 4 kilomerters, i.e.&nbsp;at these patrolling points, the two sides are no longer eyeball-to-eyeball.

However, the problem remains the same at the Pangong lake. The LAC&nbsp;runs through water here and&nbsp;mountain folds jutting into the Pangong lake are called 'fingers'. The Chinese troops had earlier come till the 'finger 4', and have not gone back to 'finger 5'. But, this is not complete withdrawal.

India insists that the PLA return to pre-stand-off position, which is 'finger 8'. Clearly, there has been little progress in the Pangong Tso in the last one month.

There have been several rounds of diplomatic and military level talks between India and China in the last 30 days. Officials of the Indian army and the PLA have met thrice since the skirmish.&nbsp;The first military level talks were on June 22 and the latest were on July 14. There have also been two&nbsp;rounds of diplomatic talks between India and China and a phone conversation has also happened between India's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval,&nbsp;and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi on July 05.

However, even after all this there is not guarantee that a complete de-escalation will take place. So, the best way forward for India would be to 'hope for the best, but&nbsp;prepare for the worst'.

'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst' is a phrase that was coined in the 18th century but is still relevant, especially in the present circumstances on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst' is a phrase that was coined in the 18th century but is still relevant, especially in the present circumstances on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). LAC is the undefined border dividing India and China — the two nuclear-armed Asian giants. The last 30 days have been among the most tense months in the history of LAC as 20 Indian troops died in action in the Galwan skirmish on June 15. Since then, there have been multiple rounds of talks, rhetorics and top level visits. However, not much of this has resulted in de-escalation along the LAC. The first problem is China, till now has not revealed any casualty numbers. But what is almost unprecedented is India's approach to the stand-off. Indian government knows it is dealing with a difficult neighbour. So, while it is sending a message of peace, it is not mincing its words while warning China against future provocation. India is also setting new traditions and preparing for the worst. On July 03, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Indian troops at Ladakh, which is a rare sighting in our country. Modi sent a message of peace from Ladakh but also hinted to Biejing that the age of expansionism is over. After PM Modi, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also visited Ladakh along with top defence officials on Friday morning to review the ground situation. He visited forward military locations and interacted with the troops. Also read: Chinese economy suffers after COVID-19, Huawei trouble and TikTok ban The Defence Minister also addressed Indian soldiers at the Lukung post near the Pangong lake. His message had the same tone as that of the Prime Minister. He said that India believes in vasudhaiva kutumbakam — the world is one family — but India is not shy of giving a befitting reply to any provocation. "We do not want unrest, we want peace. It has not been our nature to hurt any country's pride. If any attempt is made to hurt India's pride, it won't be tolerated. We will give a befitting reply," he said. "Whatever talks have happened so far, the matter should get resolved. But to what extent it would be resolved, I cannot guarantee," he added, From tanks carrying out military exercises to para drops by Indian troops, Indian military might was at display this morning. Beijing, of course, was watching all of this. China has promised peace, but the actions do not match the words. There has been a pull back at patrolling points 14, 15, and 17-a. Indian troops and the PLA have created a bufffer zone of 1 to 4 kilomerters, i.e. at these patrolling points, the two sides are no longer eyeball-to-eyeball. However, the problem remains the same at the Pangong lake. The LAC runs through water here and mountain folds jutting into the Pangong lake are called 'fingers'. The Chinese troops had earlier come till the 'finger 4', and have not gone back to 'finger 5'. But, this is not complete withdrawal. India insists that the PLA return to pre-stand-off position, which is 'finger 8'. Clearly, there has been little progress in the Pangong Tso in the last one month. There have been several rounds of diplomatic and military level talks between India and China in the last 30 days. Officials of the Indian army and the PLA have met thrice since the skirmish. The first military level talks were on June 22 and the latest were on July 14. There have also been two rounds of diplomatic talks between India and China and a phone conversation has also happened between India's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi on July 05. However, even after all this there is not guarantee that a complete de-escalation will take place. So, the best way forward for India would be to 'hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'.

Rajnath Singh sends out strong message against China on his visit to Ladakh

India is not a weak country and no power in the world can touch even an inch of its land, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday as he visited Ladakh to carry out a comprehensive review of the security scenario in the wake of the border standoff with China.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addresses troops at Lukung, Ladakh

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has arrived in Leh for a 2-day visit of Ladakh and J&K. The Defence Minister is accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and also the Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. Watch report.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to review LOC, LAC preparedness

Rajnath Singh salutes Indian forces, "No one will be allowed to touch Indian territory"