After fresh military-level talks to end border row with China, India says meetings to continue

During the corps commander-level talks, held in the Indian side of the LAC in the Chushul area, the two sides had a “sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the LAC amid a months-long standoff, India said in a release.

India and China have agreed to “maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels” after the seventh round of corps commander-level talks on Monday on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of the border areas, both the countries said on Tuesday.

I Pangong Tso lake is seen near the India China border in India's Ladakh area. (AP Photo)

During the corps commander-level talks, held in the Indian side of the LAC in the Chushul area, the two sides had a “sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the LAC amid a months-long standoff, according to the joint statement.

“They were of the view that these discussions were positive, constructive and had enhanced understanding of each other’s positions. Both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible,” it said.

Both sides agreed to “earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas,” according to the release.

According to news agency ANI, the seventh corps commander level meeting between India and China lasted for more than 11 hours and ended around 11:30pm on Monday.

India and China had held the last round of talks on the border standoff on September 21, which had also remained inconclusive as Indian negotiators firmly demanded comprehensive disengagement at all flashpoints and restoration of status quo ante as the only approach towards de-escalation. India, China had said, must withdraw its soldiers from strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong Tso to reduce friction.

In a joint statement released in New Delhi and Beijing on September 22, they said the two sides agreed to stop sending more troops to the front line and to hold the seventh round of commander-level talks “as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border area.”

Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and Lieutenant General PGK Menon, who represented the army headquarters, took part in the sixth rounds of talks.

The sixth round of military dialogue at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC across the Chushul sector also had, for the first time, involved the participation of a joint secretary-ranked officer from the ministry of external affairs as a step to ensure that the talks yield a positive outcome. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, the diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, involves a representative of the Indian defence ministry.

India and China have been locked in a border dispute for more than five months and several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have failed to produce a breakthrough in reducing border tensions in the sector where both armies have made arrangements for a long haul through the winter months.

Meanwhile, China has hardened its position and asserted that it recognises the 1959 LAC, which was never accepted by India. Beijing’s stance has dimmed hopes for an early resolution of the border row.