India, China hold seventh military talks

The talks between delegations led by corps commander-ranked officers began at 12 pm at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and were on when this report was filed.

Senior military commanders from India and China on Monday met for the seventh time in eastern Ladakh in their latest attempt to reduce friction in the sensitive theatre where India and China have deployed more than 50,000 soldiers each along with advanced weapons and systems, officials familiar with the developments said.

Tourists ride double hump camels at Nubra valley, in Ladakh, India. The Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army have been locked in a border row for more than five months. (AP)

The talks between delegations led by corps commander-ranked officers began at 12 pm at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and were on when this report was filed.

At the last round of military talks on September 21, the Indian side demanded comprehensive disengagement at all flashpoints and restoration of status quo ante of early April.

The Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army have been locked in a border row for more than five months and efforts to reduce friction have made no headway so far, with both sides prepared for a long haul through the winter months.

Monday’s talks took place weeks after China hardened its position and asserted that it recognises the 1959 LAC, which has never been accepted by India. China’s hardened stance has dimmed hopes for an early resolution of the border row, as reported by HT on October 5.

Monday’s dialogue was the last round of military talks to be led by the current commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, Lieutenant General Harinder Singh. He has completed his one-year term and is heading to Dehradun on October 15 as the commandant of the Indian Military Academy. Lieutenant General PGK Menon, who attended the talks on Monday and previously on September 21, will be Singh’s successor.