India, China agree to ease military standoff in eastern Ladakh

India and China have agreed to “consolidate” the results in the areas where troop disengagement has taken place and prepare for and hold the 14th round of military talks soon, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

India and China agreed on Thursday to ease the ongoing military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh by shifting from emergency response to “normalised control” of the disputed boundary, a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Indian Army personnel participate in a training session in challenging terrain conditions and amidst extreme weather in super high altitude areas, in Ladakh. India and China agreed have agreed to ease the ongoing military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. (ANI)

The two sides have agreed to “consolidate” the results in the areas where troop disengagement has taken place and prepare for and hold the 14th round of military talks soon, the ministry said.

The statement was issued after the 23rd round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs held via video link on Thursday.

There was no mention in the Chinese statement of disengagement of troops from the remaining areas of friction such as Depsang and Hot Springs. The two sides have been locked in a military standoff for more than 18 months with bilateral ties plummeting to its worst in decades.

“The two sides expressed that in accordance with the consensus spirit of the Dushanbe meeting between the two foreign ministers, they will continue to work hard to further ease the border situation and strive to shift from emergency response to normalised control as soon as possible,” the Chinese foreign ministry statement said.

The shift from “emergency response” to “normalised control” was a repeat of what state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi had told external affairs minister, S Jaishankar during a meeting in Dushanbe in September. “The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the recent situation in the China-India border area, and agreed to consolidate the existing disengagement results, strictly abide by the agreements and consensus reached between the two sides, and avoid recurrences in the current situation,” the statement said.

“The two sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through diplomatic and military channels, actively prepare for the 14th round of military commander-level talks, and make efforts to resolve the remaining issues in the western section of the China-India border,” the Chinese statement added.

The last round of military talks between India and China in October had stalled after Beijing said New Delhi had made “unreasonable and unrealistic demands”.

The meeting between India’s Ladakh corps commander and China’s South Xinjiang military district commander had taken place on the Chinese side of the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point.

A brief statement issued by China’s western theatre command (WTC) and published by several state-run media outlets gave little details of the talks but struck a critical note.

India has repeatedly and consistently rejected China’s allegations that Indian troops crossed over to the Chinese side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh, asserting that New Delhi has always taken a responsible approach towards border management and maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas.