In their first face-off since India repealed Article 370 to end the special status for Jammu and Kashmir and declared Ladakh a Union Territory, Indian and Chinese troops got into a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong Tso in Ladakh on Wednesday.

Owing to differing territorial claim lines, patrolling troops faced off and scuffled, and reinforcements were called by both sides.

The confrontation continued till the evening, and the troops eventually disengaged after the bilateral mechanism to defuse tensions was activated at the level of Brigade commanders.

A scuffle erupted after a 12-member Indian patrol was intercepted by Chinese soldiers near the northern bank of the 134-km-long Pangong lake early Wednesday. The Chinese control two-thirds of the lake

According to Indian Army sources, a scuffle erupted after a 12-member Indian patrol was intercepted by Chinese soldiers near the northern bank of the 134-km-long Pangong lake early Wednesday. The Chinese control two-thirds of the lake.

With the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India for an "informal Summit" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi due next month, Indian Army Headquarters acted with speed to defuse the situation.

"Delegation level talks were held at the Brigadier level on Wednesday. The border personnel meeting was held near the scene of the confrontation at Chushul-Moldo. The situation has been de-escalated and soldiers have completely disengaged from both sides," a senior officer at the Indian Army Headquarters was quoted as saying.

"The incident occurred due to differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). There are established mechanisms to resolve such occurrences," he added.

"The border personnel meeting was held near the scene of the confrontation at Chushul-Moldo. The situation has been de-escalated and soldiers have completely disengaged from both sides," a senior officer at the Indian Army Headquarters was quoted as saying

Any escalation could cast a shadow on the visit of the Chinese President like it did during his visit in September 2014 with troops from the two sides facing off at Chumar in eastern Ladakh.

The most serious recent confrontation was the 73-day face-off near the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction at Doklam in 2017. During this confrontation in the Eastern sector, there was a simultaneous clash near the scene of Wednesday's face-off along Pangong Tso. On Augut 15, troops from the two sides attacked each other with stones and rods in the areas between Finger 5 and Finger 8 on the northern bank of the lake.

China, which claims Ladakh, has opposed the reconstitution of this region as a Union Territory of India on August 5. "China always opposes India's inclusion of Chinese territory in the western section of the China-India boundary under its administrative jurisdiction," the Chinese foreign ministry stated on August 6.