With stand-offs persisting at some friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC)in Ladakh for nearly two years, India and China will hold the 15th round of military level talks on Friday to find ways for speedy disengagement of troops.
The last round was held on January 14 without much headway. “India and China have mutually decided to hold the 15th round of Corps Commander level talks at the Indian side of Chushul Moldo Meeting Point on 11 March 2022. 14 rounds of talks till now have resulted in resolution of North and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra Hot Spring areas.
Both sides will now focus to achieve resolution of balance friction areas. Recent statements by both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution have been encouraging and positive in nature,” sources in the defence establishment said here on Tuesday.
The talks will be held on the Indian side of the LAC and 14 Corps chief Lt General Anindya Sengupta will head the Indian delegation. It may include officials from the external affairs ministry. At present, stand-offs are on at three flash points at the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. Given the tense situation, more than 50,000 troops each from both the sides are now deployed at the front there.
They did not retreat to their bases during the harsh winter months for the second year in a row. India has all along maintained that complete disengagement and restoring status quo ante as prevailing on the LAC prior to May 2020 is the prerequisite for normalcy of relations with China.
Incidentally, the announcement came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday ties between India and China have seen some setbacks. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last month had said the ties were going through a “very difficult phase” after Beijing violated agreements that were signed not to bring military forces to the border and maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC.
“China, India relations have encountered some setbacks in recent years which don’t serve the fundamental interests of two countries and the two peoples,” Wang Yi said.
He favoured managing boundary differences through consultation, actively seeking a “fair and equitable” settlement. Addressing his annual press conference on China’s foreign policy on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s legislature, Wang said some forces have always sought to stoke tensions between China and India.
“Their attempts have put more and more thoughtful people in reflection and on alert. More people have come to realise that for China and India, both major countries with a population of over a billion, only by staying independent can we firmly grasp our own destiny and realise our goals of development and rejuvenation,” he said.
Wang Yi said his country hopes India will work with them to “…uphold the strategic consensus that our two countries pose no threat, offer development opportunities to each other and continue to build mutual trust.” He also said the two countries should “…avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation so that we will be partners for mutual success instead of adversaries of mutual attrition.”
The 14th round of Corps Commander-level meeting was held on January 12 during which the two sides agreed to maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels to work out a “mutually acceptable resolution” of the remaining issues of the standoff at eastern Ladakh.