New Delhi: The 14th round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China lasted for nearly 13 hours at the Chushul-Moldo meeting site. The talks took place from the Chinese side and it ended at around 10:30. According to sources close to the incident, the Indian side was represented by the new chief of 14 Corps, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta.
Sources said the main focus of the talks was to advance the decommissioning process at Hot Springs (Patrolling Point 15). Additionally, India pressed for early withdrawal of troops in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh in the 14th round of military talks with China on Wednesday.
He said the latest round of Corps Commander-level talks took place at the Chushul-Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The Indian delegation in the talks was led by Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, the newly appointed Commander of 14 Corps based in Leh. The Chinese team was led by Major General Yang Lin, Chief of the South Xinjiang Military District.
The Indian side insisted on early removal of all remaining friction points including resolution of the issues at Depsang Bulge and Demchok. The 13th round of talks was held on 10 October and they ended in a deadlock.
The two sides failed to make any progress after the talks, stating that the “constructive suggestions” made by the Indian Army were neither acceptable to the Chinese side nor could it provide any “forward” proposals.
The fresh talks come days after India targeted China for building a bridge over Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, saying it is in an area that has been under illegal occupation of that country for nearly 60 years.
Last week, India described China’s renaming of some places in Arunachal Pradesh as a “ridiculous exercise” to support “untenable territorial” claims, saying the state has always been an “irreversible” part of India. Has been and always will be.
In their virtual diplomatic talks on 18 November, India and China had agreed to hold the 14th round of military talks at the earliest to achieve the objective of complete disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.
The eastern Ladakh border standoff between Indian and Chinese armies began on May 5, 2020, following violent clashes in the Pangong Lake areas. Both sides gradually increased their deployment by carrying thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weapons.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides last year completed the separation process on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Lake and the Gogra region. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive area.
first published:Jan. 13, 2022, 9:20 a.m.
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