India, China agree to ‘10th round of talks at an early date’ to advance de-escalation

The latest effort came two-and-a-half months after the last round of discussions between the two sides on November 6, with around 50,000 troops deployed in the region, along with additional artillery, tanks, and air defence assets.

The 9th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting between India and China, held on Sunday (Jan 24) on the Chinese side of the Chushul-Moldo Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) point, agreed to push for an early disengagement of the frontline troops.

The meeting began around 10 am and continued until evening. The latest effort came two-and-a-half months after the last round of discussions between the two sides on November 6, with around 50,000 troops deployed in the region, along with additional artillery, tanks, and air defence assets.

According to a statement by the Army, the two sides agreed to “follow the important consensus of their state leaders, maintain the good momentum of dialogue and negotiation, and hold the 10th round of the Corps Commander Level Meeting at an early date to jointly advance de-escalation”.

The Army statement said senior military commanders from India and China had “an in-depth exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of China-India border areas. They also agreed that this round of meeting was positive, practical and constructive, which further enhanced mutual trust and understanding”.

On Sunday, the Indian delegation was led by Lt Gen P G K Menon, XIV Corps Commander, which is responsible for the LAC in eastern Ladakh, and included another senior military officer from Delhi. Naveen Srivastava, Additional Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, was also present.

This is the fourth time that Srivastava, who has been leading the Indian side in meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), was part of the military discussions. The WMCC talks last took place on December 18.

The Chinese delegation was led by Major General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang Military Region.

The two sides agreed to continue their efforts in “ensuring restraint of the frontline troops, stabilize and control the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the China-India border, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility”.

On January 20, troops from both sides were involved in a clash in Naku La in Sikkim. While details of injuries are not yet available, sources mentioned that some troops sustained minor injuries during the brawl. The incident happened as Indian troops stopped a Chinese patrolling party in the region.

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