NEW DELHI: The Corps Commanders of India and China agreed to maintain “security and stability” in eastern Ladakh and continue working out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.
The 18th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on Sunday.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector so as to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations."
Lt Gen Rashim Bali, the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps Commander, led the Indian side in the discussions. The defence of eastern Ladakh is looked after by the Fire and Fury Corps. The Chinese side, in the talks, is led by the South Xinjiang Military District Commander.
The two sides had “an exchange of views in an open and candid manner.”
In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector.
“The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest,” said the MEA.
Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu is scheduled to be in India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting next week. This will be the first visit of Li Shangfu as he was appointed as China’s new Defence Minister in March.
The situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh has been tense since May 2020 as troops of the Chinese Peoples’ Liberation Army clashed with Indian Army soldiers at Finger 4 on the Northern Bank of the Pangong Lake.
Post the clashes, China has deployed its troops in the areas of North Bank and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Gogra, Hot Spring and Depsang, leading to a standoff between the two sides. This was in addition to the standoff existing at Depsang and Demchok. This meeting is taking place after a gap of four months. The Corps Commander-level meeting was last held in December 2022.
India has been asking for status-quo ante to the April 2020 position on ground in Eastern Ladakh and has asked China to move its troops back from the Depsang Plains and the Demchok area. The 17 rounds of previous Corps Commanders talks have led to disengagement at Galwan (Patrolling Point 14), North and South banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP 17A) and Hot Springs (PP 15). In addition, there have been multiple diplomatic parlays between the two countries. The troops have moved back from the earlier eye-to-eye deployment from the standoff points to new locations but they remain in the area.