India, China engage in fresh round of diplomatic talks with no tangible breakthrough
- In Reports
- 11:45 AM, Mar 28, 2024
- Myind Staff
Senior Indian and Chinese diplomats convened for another round of discussions in Beijing concerning the stand-off in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Despite no immediate indications of progress, they mutually decided to sustain regular communication via diplomatic and military channels.
The Indian delegation for the 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was headed by the Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs. The Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.
“The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols,” the readout said without giving details.
In June 2020, the Galwan Valley in the Ladakh region emerged as a focal point of heightened tensions between India and China. The situation intensified when violent clashes broke out between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley. This clash led to casualties on both sides, including fatalities, marking the most serious escalation in the border dispute between the two countries in decades.
The clash prompted both sides to deploy additional troops and military equipment to the region and also triggered diplomatic and military-level talks between the two countries to defuse the situation and prevent further escalation.
India-China relations are currently at their lowest point in six decades, with New Delhi asserting that the overall relationship cannot be normalized without the restoration of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Both sides have deployed more than 50,000 troops each in the Ladakh sector since the standoff commenced.
Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A), and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies maintain tens of thousands of troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre. Issues concerning Depsang and Demchok remain under negotiation.
Image source: PTI
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