NEW DELHI: The soldiers of India and China have retreated from one of the four standoff sites right before the important meeting scheduled between both the country. The team from both sides will include around 7 officers.

Sources confirmed that “The PLA soldiers have moved back around 2 kilometres from one of the standoff points in Galwan Valley and India has retreated about 800 meters from the point".

The two armies are locked in standoff position since the intervening night of 5-6 May when the Chinese soldiers attacked Indian soldiers near between Finger Four and Finger Five. Subsequently, the PLA entered the Grey Zones (the intervening area between the claim lines of the two sides) at three more pints apart from the Finger Four. The Chinese came to their claim lines at Patrolling Point 14, Patrolling Point 15 and Gogra Post in the Galwan Valley.

The disengagement at one of these points is seen as a good sign before the senior-level military officers meet on June 6.

The two sides will meet in the Border Personnel Meeting hut at Moldo which is against the Indian side of Chushul. It is a rare meeting when the Lieutenant General rank officers from the two sides will be meeting to resolve a border issue. As per protocol, Highest Level Military Commander meeting is that of Major General level which also happens only in extraordinary cases like the one which happened on Tuesday in which the two sides enunciated their points to be placed before the senior military officers during the upcoming meeting.

“The meeting has been requested by the Chinese side and it will have the Indian Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh and one Staff officer from the Western Theatre Command of China,” said an officer and adding that "the Division Commanders from both sides, Major General Rank, Local Brigade Commander from Indian side along with one of the Battalion Commanders from the area, One Interpreter and one-two more Indian officers". The Chinese side will also have a similar number of officers.

“The disengagement of troops will be the main agenda with a focus on the Finger Four Area which is the main point where status quo has been breached by Chinese PLA,” said the officer.

As per the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement signed between the two sides in 2013, no side can change the status quo, cannot construct anything in the grey zone and cannot stay in these places overnight.

Indian 3 Division handles the borders from Karakoram Pass to Chushul and against it is Chinese 6TH Mechanised Infantry Division Headquartered at Hotan, Tibet and 4th motorized Division is nearby.