India and China will hold the 19th round of Corps Commander Level talks on Monday (August 14) aiming to resolve the ongoing military standoff over three years. The meeting between PLA officials and Corp commander are likely to be held at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the Eastern Ladakh sector.
Impasse since May 2020
The two countries are indulged in a military impasse for the last three years since May 2020, when the Chinese tried to aggressively alter the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“The Indian side would be led by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali for the talks with representatives of the Chinese military on August 14. Officials from Ministry of External Affairs and ITBP are also expected to be part of the talks The two sides are likely to discuss the issues related to DBO and CNN junction along with other matters. India would also be pressing for disengagement from the Eastern Ladakh front,” defence sources told news agnecy ANI.
No concrete solution achieved in 18th round of military talks
Earlier, on April 23, 2023, days ahead of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu's planned visit to India, the militaries of the two countries on held 18th round of high-level talks to resolve issues at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.
The 18th round of talks took place at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side of LAC in eastern Ladakh.
It was not immediately known whether there was any forward movement at the talks in the resolution of pending issues.
It was learnt that the Indian side insisted on resolving the issues at the remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh as soon as possible.
The Indian delegation at the dialogue was led by Lt Gen Rashim Bali, Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps that takes care of security along the LAC in the Ladakh sector.
The talks took place ahead of Chinese Defence Minister Li visit to New Delhi to attend a defence ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on April 27 and 28. India is hosting the meeting under its presidency of the grouping.
The 17th round of military talks was held on December 20. Following the dialogue, the two sides, in a joint statement, said they exchanged views in an "open and constructive" manner to resolve the "relevant issues" and that it was agreed to maintain "security and stability" on the ground in the region.
The statement said the two sides agreed to stay in "close contact", maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.
In line with a decision taken at the 16th round of military talks, the two sides carried out disengagement from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area in September last year.
The Corps Commander-level talks were instituted to resolve the eastern Ladakh row. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.
The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
(With agencies inputs)
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