India and China on Sunday reaffirmed their resolve to sustain the momentum of dialogue for early resolution of continuing stand-offs between the two armies in Eastern Ladakh. The two sides also agreed to have another round of military-level talks at the earliest.
It was the main takeaway from the 16th round of Corps Commander-level talks between the two armies at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point at the Line of Actual Control(LAC)in Ladakh on the Indian side.
Leh-based 14 Corps chief Lt General Anindya Sengupta led the Indian delegation while Major General Yang Lin led the Chinese team. The meeting started at about 9.30 am. The last round of military dialogue took place on March 11 and it lasted for around 13 hours.
As regards the latest parleys, the two sides reviewed the present situation prevailing on the ground at the friction points in Eastern Ladakh and agreed to maintain peace and tranquility and avoid escalating tension, sources said here. The Indian delegation also brought up the issue of Chinese fighter jets transgressing the no fly zone close to the LAC in Ladakh which may lead to more tension, they said. The most recent case was reported in June when a Chinese jet came close to the LAC on its side.
The two countries have a pact that no jets can fly within ten kms of the border on either side Besides this issue, the talks focused on firming up a process for disengagement from friction points at Depsang Valley, Demchok, and Hot Springs, they said.
India has all along stressed that the complete withdrawal of Chinese troops from the stand-off sites and status quo ante as prevailing prior to May 2020 are the prerequisites for restoring normal ties between the two countries.
At present, more than 50,000 troops each from both the sides are facing each other at the LAC thereby leading to tension in the border areas.
The latest round of talks was held days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reviewed the situation at the LAC in Bali, Indonesia.
The talks took place on the sidelines of a meeting of the foreign ministers of G-20 countries on July 7. It was learned that the eastern Ladakh border row figured in the discussions.
Jaishankar called for an early resolution of all the outstanding issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh, the ministry of external affairs had said. Recalling the disengagement achieved in some friction areas, Jaishankar reiterated the need to sustain the momentum to complete disengagement from all the remaining areas to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, the ministry said.
The two Ministers agreed that they should continue regular contact at military and diplomatic meetings, and looked ahead to the next (16th) round of Senior Commanders meeting at the Chushul-Moldo border point at an early date, the statement said.
Incidentally, Wang Yi was the first Chinese minister to visit India in March this year since trouble erupted on the LAC in eastern Ladakh more than two years back. At present, more than 50,000 troops each from both sides are in a stand-off at some friction points.
The two ministers are likely to take stock of the situation at the LAC when they meet again on July 28 and 29 in Tashkent for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ conclave.
The takeaway from the Corps Commander talks is likely to figure prominently in the talks between Jaishankar and Wang Yi, sources said.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.