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India, China hold talks on LAC issue
India and China held the 15th round of military talks to cool tensions in Ladakh, with the dialogue focusing on resolving outstanding problems at friction points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials familiar with the development said on Friday on the condition of anonymity
India and China held the 15th round of military talks to cool tensions in Ladakh, with the dialogue focusing on resolving outstanding problems at friction points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials familiar with the development said on Friday on the condition of anonymity.
The talks began at 10am on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo meeting point and were still on at the time of going to print. The last round of corps commander level talks was held on January 12. It failed to yield any positive outcome, although both countries said they would work towards mutually acceptable solutions to resolve the border standoff, which began in May 2020.
The latest round of talks came on the back of positive signals from both sides. While the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday said it was hopeful that India and China will make progress during the March 11 talks to resolve friction at LAC, Indian officials earlier said recent statements by both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution were encouraging and positive.
Despite three rounds of disengagement at friction points on LAC — Galwan, Pangong Tso and Gogra — the two armies still have 50,000 to 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.
The focus of the current talks from India’s standpoint is on the disengagement of rival frontline soldiers from Hot Springs or Patrol Point-15, one of the friction points on LAC.
The Indian Army’s patrolling activity has been affected in Hot Springs and People’s Liberation Army’s forward presence in Depsang has also hindered access of Indian soldiers to routes including the ones leading to PP-10, 11, 11-A, 12 and 13.
If there is any lesson from the ongoing Ukraine conflict, it is that festering tensions should not be left unaddressed, former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd) earlier said, while commenting on the ongoing military dialogue between India and China.
A joint statement issued by India and China after the January 12 dialogue talked about a consensus on consolidating previous outcomes and taking steps for security and stability on the ground.
The joint statement issued on January 13 struck a conciliatory note in contrast to the separate statements issued by the two sides after the 13th round of talks on October 10 — while the Indian Army said PLA did not agree to its suggestions, China accused India of “unreasonable and unrealistic demands” in an unusually aggressive statement.
Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane last week reviewed the operational readiness of a Mathura-based strike formation that was reassigned to the northern borders with China amid the LAC standoff, even as the army carried out airborne drills in the Siliguri corridor to showcase its “aerial insertion and rapid response capabilities” along the eastern frontier with the neighbouring country.
