India, China diplomatic talks over Ladakh standoff, review border situation
- In Reports
- 06:06 PM, Aug 01, 2024
- Myind Staff
During their "constructive" and "forward-looking" diplomatic discussions on Wednesday, China and India attempted to end their four-year border deadlock along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, but there was clearly no sign of progress.
Restoring tranquility and respect for the LAC are "essential basis" for restoring normalcy in bilateral relations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met one-on-one with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Vientiane. The current talks took place in Delhi within the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).
Both sides agreed on the necessity of working together to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in compliance with pertinent bilateral agreements and norms, the MEA said, characterising the conversation at the meeting as "in-depth, constructive, and forward-looking."
Still, there seemed to be no indication that the negotiations had made much progress.
Hong Liang, the director general of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Boundary and Oceanic Department, led the Chinese delegation.
According to the MEA, Liang also called on Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Beijing hosted the previous round of WMCC negotiations in March.
"Further to discussions between the two foreign ministers in their recent meetings at Astana and Vientiane, the two sides reviewed the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with a view to finding an early resolution of the outstanding issues," said the ministry.
"Restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are an essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations," it stated.
"They agreed on the need to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments," the statement read.
"The discussion at the meeting was in-depth, constructive and forward-looking. Both sides agreed to maintain the momentum through the established diplomatic and military channels," it said.
Gourangalal Das, the MEA's Joint Secretary for East Asia, headed the Indian team at the WMCC's thirty-first conference.
On July 25, in Vientiane, discussions were place between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, concurrently with ASEAN-related meetings.
The necessity of working with "purpose and urgency" to achieve complete disengagement at the earliest in the remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh was agreed upon by both ministers during the talks.
On July 4, the two foreign ministers held a bilateral meeting in Astana on the fringes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annual conference.
Jaishankar emphasised at the meeting India's steadfast belief that mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity must be the cornerstones of the two sides' relationship.
Although both sides have retreated from a number of places of contention, the Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a standoff since May 2020 and the border dispute has not yet been fully resolved.
Following the violent confrontation in the Galwan Valley in June 2020—the most significant military conflict between the two sides in decades—the relationship between the two countries took a heavy hit.
India has insisted that unless there is peace in the border regions, its relations with China cannot return to normal.
To end the deadlock, the two sides have had 21 rounds of discussions at the level of the Corps Commander. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been under pressure from India to leave the Demchok and Depsang regions.
The final round of high-level military discussions took place in February between the two sides.
Image source: HT
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