TE24 International Desk:
India-China military talks: India on Sunday withdrew troops from the remaining friction point in eastern Radak in the 16th round of high-level military talks with China after a hiatus of more than four months. prompted
In a meeting that lasted about 12.5 hours, the Indian delegation also insisted on restoring the status quo from April 2020 before the start of military conflict, development experts said.
They said the talks began at 9:30 am and ended around 10 pm at the Chushurmold meeting house on the Indian side of the LAC. There was some hope of progress in negotiations to complete the withdrawal process at Patrol Point-15 in the Hot Springs region.
The Indian delegation will be led by Lieutenant General Anindia Sengupta, commander of the Leh-based XIV Corps, while the Chinese delegation will be led by Major Yang Lin, chief of the Southern Xinjiang Military Zone.
There was no official word on the outcome of the board meeting. Both sides issued a joint statement at the 15th military dialogue held on March 11, saying that resolving the issue would help restore peace and tranquility in the region and promote bilateral relations. Repeated statements did not yield any significant results.
The Indian side has demanded an early troop withdrawal at all remaining friction points, the people cited above said. The Indian delegation also reportedly sought resolution of the pending issues of Depsanbarji and Demchok.
India has consistently argued that peace and tranquility along the LAC is key to the overall development of bilateral relations. The situation in eastern Ladakh played an important role in the July 7 meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Raja Bali on all outstanding issues of eastern Ladakh. Emphasizes the need for solutions.
“Recalling the secession achieved in some areas of friction, the state secretary maintained momentum towards complete secession from all remaining areas to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas. The need was reiterated,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
In a statement after the meeting, Dr. MEA also said that Jaishankar “reiterated the importance of fully complying with bilateral agreements and protocols, as well as the agreement agreed between the two ministers in the previous meeting.”
The eastern Ladakh border dispute began on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangan waters. Both sides gradually increased their efforts, pouring in thousands of troops and heavy weapons.