India, China discuss LAC standoff in Delhi, agree to military talks
The 27th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was held privately in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
This undated photograph released by the Indian Army on February 16, 2021 shows PLA soldiers and tanks during a military standoff along the Line of Actual Control along the India-China border in Ladakh. (AFP)
New Delhi: India and China on Wednesday held another round of diplomatic talks over the dragging standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the only outcome was a decision to hold further rounds of talks between military commanders. ”.
The 27th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was held privately in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Insisting that restoration of peace and tranquility will create the conditions for normalization of bilateral relations, the statement said: “They agreed to hold the next (19) round of summits to achieve this objective in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols. Commander's meeting soon. "
The military conflict over the LAC, now in its fourth year, has taken India-China relations to their lowest level in six decades. Shortly after the conflict broke out into the open, 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops were killed in a brutal encounter in the Galwan Valley in June 2020.
On China's call for the border line to be kept in its "proper place" in bilateral relations, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said relations cannot be normalized until peace and tranquility are restored with the LAC.
During the WCMC meeting, the two sides "reviewed the LAC situation in the western sector of the India-China border and discussed non-cooperation proposals in the rest of the region in an open and frank manner," the statement said.
Restoration of peace and tranquility will create conditions for normalization of bilateral relations, the statement said.
Both sides also agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels.
The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by the Joint Secretary (East Asia) of the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was led by the Director General of the Border and Oceans Department of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian Army and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) resolved tensions along the LAC by holding the 18th round of senior commanders' talks on April 23.
Earlier, the two sides held a corps commander's meeting in December 2022 to discuss outstanding issues on the border.
Despite four rounds of advances in the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Gogra and Hot Springs, the Indian and Chinese armies still have more than 60,000 troops and advanced weapons deployed in the Ladakh theater.
Chief among the remaining friction points with the LAC are Depsang and Demokok
