Following the 19th round of military talks between the Chinese PLA and the Indian Army to defuse tensions in the Ladakh sector, the two sides held major-general level talks on Friday to address unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to officials with knowledge of the situation.
The meetings were conducted by various major generals and their PLA counterparts and were held in Daulet Beg Oldi and Chushul, respectively, in eastern Ladakh, according to the officials who requested anonymity. Undoubtedly, since the LAC impasse started in May 2020, both parties have participated in a number of rounds of negotiations at the division commander level (a rung below the corps commanders).
The two parties decided to swiftly and amicably settle the outstanding concerns along the LAC in the Ladakh region through ongoing communication during the 19 rounds of talks between the corps commanders of the two armies on August 13 and 14. For the first time, two days were dedicated to military discussions.
The discussions took place before to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at the BRICS Summit, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 22–24. It has not been ruled out that Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping could meet off-site from the conference. The Chinese president is also anticipated to attend the G20 conference in New Delhi in September.
Undoubtedly, a joint statement released on August 15 did not point to any quick progress.
“They consented to swiftly resolve the outstanding concerns and keep the lines of communication and discussion open through military and diplomatic channels. The two parties agreed to maintain calm and tranquilly in the border regions in the interim, according to a statement released during the 19th round of negotiations.
The Indian and Chinese armies continue to have tens of thousands of soldiers and cutting-edge equipment deployed in the Ladakh theatre despite four rounds of withdrawal from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A), and Hot Springs (PP-15).
There are still issues to be resolved at Depsang in the Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in the Demchok section.
After the 16th round of military negotiations in July 2022 to defuse tensions in the delicate area, the last round of disengagement from the PP-15 took place in September 2022.
Nearly four months had passed since the 18th round of military dialogue, which took place on April 23, before the most recent round of discussions between corps commanders. These discussions did not result in any substantial advancements.
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