NEW DELHI: Indian and Chinese officials held another round of diplomatic talks on the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Beijing on Wednesday, with the Indian side insisting that disengagement of frontline troops alone will help restore normalcy in bilateral ties.
There were no immediate signs of a breakthrough in discussions on proposals for disengagement. The talks were held under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs, and this was the first in-person meeting of the body since 14th meeting held in July 2019.
The WMCC was activated soon after the face-off on the LAC began in May 2020 but all its meetings since then were held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic. India and China have arrayed more than 50,000 troops each in Ladakh sector and tensions spiked again last December after several soldiers from both sides were injured in a clash along the LAC at Yangtse, near Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Besides reviewing the situation along the LAC in the western sector, the WMCC meeting “discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner”, according to a statement from the external affairs ministry. Such a disengagement “would help in restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in Western Sector and create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations”.
“To achieve this objective in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (18th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date. The two sides agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels,” the statement added.
The Indian side at the WMCC meet was led by the joint secretary (East Asia) from the external affairs ministry, while the Chinese delegation was led by the director general of the boundary and oceanic affairs department of the foreign ministry.
India and China withdrew frontline troops from the two banks of the Pangong Lake, Gogra and Hot Springs after more than two dozen rounds of diplomatic and military talks during the past three years. However, they have been unable to reach an understanding on friction points such as Depsang and Demchok.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar has accused China of violating agreements on border management by amassing troops along the LAC. He has also made it clear that the normalisation of bilateral relations is dependent on the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
The Chinese side, on the other hand, has called for the border standoff to be put in its “appropriate place” while the two countries take forward relations in other areas such as trade and investment. India-China ties are currently at their lowest point in more than six decades.
The 17th round of talks between senior military commanders of India and China since the standoff began was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on December 20 last year. The WMCC last met on October 14, 2022. There were no breakthroughs at both these meetings and the two sides only committed themselves to further talks to find an end to the standoff.
