New Delhi: India and China held in-person diplomatic talks here on Wednesday and exchanged proposals for a “clean and open” disengagement at remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. What did you think?
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two sides agreed to hold the 19th round of high-level military talks as soon as possible to achieve the objective of restoring peace and tranquility in the border areas.
The meeting was held under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).
Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff for more than three years at some friction points in eastern Ladakh, even as the two sides completed the disengagement of several areas after extensive diplomatic and military negotiations.
“Both sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the western sector of India-China border areas and discussed de-escalation proposals in the remaining areas in an open and transparent manner.”
“Restoration of peace and harmony will create conditions for normalization of bilateral relations,” the MEA said.
“To achieve this objective, in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (19th) round of Senior Commanders’ Meeting as soon as possible,” it said in a statement.
The MEA said both sides agreed to continue talks through military and diplomatic channels.
This was the 27th session of WMCC. The last meeting of the WMCC was held on February 22 in Beijing.
The Indian delegation was led by the Joint Secretary (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs.
The Chinese side was led by the Director General of the Border and Maritime Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The 18th round of high-level military talks between the two sides took place on April 23, during which they agreed to stay in close touch and find a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.
A few days later, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu visited India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting.
On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Li for about 45 minutes.
In the conversation, Singh told his Chinese counterpart that China’s violation of existing border agreements “destroyed” the entire basis of relations between the two countries and resolved all border issues as per existing agreements. Should go.
On May 4, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang the importance of resolving the Eastern Ladakh border dispute and ensuring peace and tranquility along the LAC for the development of bilateral relations.
A day after the talks, Jaishankar had said in a media briefing that the situation along the border in eastern Ladakh was “unusual” and that India-China relations could not return to normal if peace and tranquility in the border areas were disrupted. .
The East Ladakh border standoff began on May 5, 2020, following a violent encounter in the Pangong Lake area.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly after the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which marked the worst military conflict between the two sides in decades.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic negotiations, the two sides completed the demarcation of the northern and southern shores of Pangong Lake and the Gogra region in 2021.
