India emphasises early disengagement in remaining friction points in military talks with China

In a recent series of high-level military discussions with China, India has emphasised the need for prompt and early disengagement of troops in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh., people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The India-China talks were held at the Chunshul-Moldo border point which is located on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The military talks between India and China started at 9.30 am and continued for 10 hours.

The Indian delegation at the 19th round of Corps Commander-level talks especially called for the resolution of issues in Depsang Plains and Demchok, they said.

While there was no official release on the high-level military talks, it is learnt that local military commanders of the two sides held talks a day ahead of the Corps Commander-level meeting.

Despite successfully completing disengagement from various areas through extensive diplomatic and military negotiations, Indian and Chinese troops remain engaged in a standoff for over three years at specific friction points in eastern Ladakh.

The standoff has been going on ever since Indian and Chinese troops engaged in an aggressive face-off. 

During the talks, the Indian delegation was headed by Lt Gen Rashim Bali, the Commander of the Leh-headquartered 14 Corps, while the Chinese team was led by the commander of the South Xinjiang military district.

On April 23 talks too, the Indian side had emphasised for disengagement at Depsang and Demchok. India has consistently asserted that establishing normalcy in its relationship with China hinges on achieving peace along the border regions.

On July 24, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the five-nation grouping BRICS in Johannesburg.

In its statement on the meeting, the MEA said Doval conveyed that the situation along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had "eroded strategic trust" and the public and political basis of the relationship.

It said the NSA emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral ties.

(With agency inputs)