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NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese senior military commanders concluded another round of talks on the standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by agreeing to continue their dialogue and to maintain peace in the border areas.
The 20th round of talks between corps commanders of the two countries since the face-off in the Ladakh sector of the LAC started in April-May 2020 was held almost two months after the previous round held in mid-August. A statement issued by the external affairs ministry on Wednesday after the two-day talks didn’t point to any breakthrough.
During the meeting on the Indian side at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on October 9-10, the two sides “exchanged views in a frank, open and constructive manner for an early and mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues” in the western sector of the LAC, the statement said.
“They agreed to maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through the relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms. They also committed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas in the interim,” the statement added.
The remaining issues on the LAC will be settled in “accordance with the guidance provided by the national leadership of the two countries” and by building on progress made in the last round of military talks during August 13-14, according to the statement.
This was the second time that the military commanders held talks for two consecutive days.
The talks between the military commanders comprise one of two tracks being used by India and China to address the dragging military standoff, with the other being the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India–China Border Affairs (WMCC) which involves diplomats and other officials.
The standoff and a bloody clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, have taken bilateral ties to their lowest ebb in six decades. After several rounds of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides withdrew frontline forces from both banks of Pangong Lake, Gogra and Hot Springs, but have been unable to make headway on the larger “friction points” at Depsang and Demchok. Buffer zones created by the two sides have also resulted in Indian troops losing access to areas they patrolled earlier.
There was intense speculation in diplomatic circles that the two countries might reach an understanding on the standoff before the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit in Johannesburg in August or the G20 Summit in New Delhi the following month. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping opted to skip the G20 Summit.
The Indian leadership has linked the normalisation of bilateral ties to the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar describing the current situation as “abnormal”. The Chinese side has contended the border situation has moved towards normalcy and the two sides should take forward ties in all spheres.
Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music.
‘Agreed to maintain momentum of dialogue’: Indian, Chinese commanders hold talks – Hindustan Times
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