NEW DELHI: India plans to push the Chinese side for an exchange of maps in the western sector after the process of disengagement and de-escalation is complete and Indian troops go back to their old patrolling posts. Government officials said this would clarify each other’s claim lines and actual control, which would make management and patrolling protocols easier.
China has so far refused to exchange maps in this sector. Even after 22 rounds of talks on the boundary question, it has shown no inclination to exchange maps or clarify the LAC, having exchanged maps for only the central sector. While a resolution of the boundary question is a distance away, the Galwan clashes, India hopes, is sufficient reason to clarify this sector. China’s reluctance to exchange maps led to the suspicion that they want to keep it fluid to be able to change the situation on the ground