Galwan Valley: Indian, Chinese diplomats to hold video-conference soon

Senior diplomats of India and China are likely to hold a video-conference soon to discuss the violent face-off between the soldiers of the two nations at Galwan Valley to defuse tension, not only on the scene of the clash, but also along the disputed boundary on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.

Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), is likely to hold a video-conference with Hong Liang, the Director General of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government, sources in New Delhi told the DH.

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The video-conference between Srivastava and Hong will be held under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs, which India and China had set up to discuss and resolve flashpoints along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the McMahon Line, which serve as de facto boundary between the two nations in western and eastern sectors respectively.

Srivastava had on June 5 held a video-conference with Wu Jianghao, Director General (Asian Affairs) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government,

The military officials of India and China are also continuing talks to de-escalate tension along the disputed boundary between the two nations. Major General Abhijit Bapat, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Indian Army, had yet another meeting with his counterpart in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Thursday to discuss the violent face-off, which resulted in casualties on both sides on Monday. They are expected to hold another round of talks on Friday.

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“The two sides are in regular touch through their respective embassies and foreign offices,” Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs, said in New Delhi on Thursday. “The two sides have maintained communication at the level of the commanders at the ground level,” he said, adding: “Meetings of other established diplomatic mechanisms such as the WMCC on Border Affairs are under discussion.”

India and China set up the WMCC in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for management of India-China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between the border security personnel of the two sides.

Srivastava’s counterpart in Beijing, Zhao Lijian, too said that China and India had made contacts and coordination through diplomatic and military channels since the violent clash in Galwan Valley and the two sides had agreed to “handle in a just manner the serious situation” caused by the clash.

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The two sides continued to hold each other responsible for the violent clash, which resulted in the death of at least 20 Indian Army soldiers and an unspecified number of the Chinese PLA personnel at Galwan Valley on Monday.

They, however, also noted that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart in Chinese Government Wang Yi had agreed on Wednesday to “handle the overall situation” along the LAC “in a responsible manner” and resolve the stand-off in accordance with the understanding reached during the meeting between the Corps Commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies on June 6.