Eastern Ladakh standoff: No resolution during military talks as China didn’t agree to suggestions, says India

The thirteenth round of Corps Commander Level talks between India and China, held at Chushul-Moldo Border on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Saturday, could not resolve the eastern Ladakh conflict between both the armies.

The focal point of the meeting was to ensure resolution of the remaining issues in Depsang Bulge and Demchok areas located along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Each side has deployed 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers currently along the LAC in the affected sector.

During the talks, the Indian side stated that resolution of these issues was a necessity to facilitate the progress in bilateral relations,  a statement from the Indian Army said.  

During the course of these talks, the Indian side gave ‘constructive suggestions ’ for resolving the remaining  issues but the Chinese side ‘was not agreeable and also could not provide any forward looking proposals’.  

“The situation along the LAC had been caused by unilateral attempts of the Chinese side to alter the status quo and in violation of the bilateral agreements. It was therefore necessary that the Chinese side take appropriate steps in the remaining areas so as to restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector,” the statement said.
The latest round of talks took place on the back of two recent incidents of attempted transgressions into the Indian territory by the Chinese troops – one took place in Uttarakhand’s Barahoti sector and the other in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector.

The two sides have agreed to maintain communications and also to maintain stability on the ground.

“It is our expectation that the Chinese side will take into account the overall perspective of bilateral relations and will work towards early resolution of the remaining issues while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols,” the statement said.

The Indian Army delegation for the talks was led by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.

Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravne had said that the military build-up by China in the eastern Ladakh region and new infrastructure development to sustain the large-scale deployment is a matter of concern.

He also said that if the Chinese military maintains the deployment through the second winter, then it may lead to an LoC-like situation, though not as active as it is on the western front with Pakistan.
In his address on the 89th Air Force Day, the newly-appointed Indian Air Force (IAF) chief VR Chaudhary had said that the IAF’s prompt actions in response to the developments in eastern Ladakh was a testament to its combat readiness and its ongoing capability enhancement programme is aimed at achieving desired results “swiftly and decisively” across domains.

Edited by Mehak Agarwal

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