India, China agree to expeditiously resolve outstanding issues on the LAC: MEA

India and China have agreed to expeditiously resolve the “outstanding issues” for completing the mutual withdrawal of front-line troops from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, after the senior diplomats of the two nations had another video conference to end the stand-off.

They “acknowledged the need to maintain close communication through both the diplomatic and military channels” in order to ensure complete “disengagement” of troops at the face-off points on the LAC, Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the MEA, told journalists in New Delhi. He said that the diplomats of the two nations had a “candid and in-depth exchange of views on the existing situation in the India-China border areas”.

Naveen Srivastava, who heads the East Asia division at the MEA, led the delegation of the Government of India in the video conference. The delegation of the Chinese Government was led by Hong Liang, the Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the communist country.

The video conference was the 18th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), which was instituted in 2013. Srivastava and Hong had earlier held three video conferences within the framework of the WMCC after the current military stand-off along the disputed boundary between the two nations started in early May.

The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) had early last month mutually agreed on a process of “disengagement” or phased withdrawal of the front-line troops to resolve the military stand-off along the LAC – the de facto boundary between the two nations – in eastern Ladakh. It, however, remained stalled for more than four weeks now, particularly because the Chinese PLA declined to withdraw troops completely from several areas on India’s side of the LAC, including Depsang Y junction, Gogra Post and the northern bank of the Pangong Tso (lake).

Srivastava and Hong had agreed on “early and complete disengagement” of troops from the LAC when they had held the last video conference on July 24. The senior military commanders – Lt Gen Harinder Singh of the Indian Army and Maj Gen Liu Lin of the Chinese PLA – also had held a meeting at Chushul-Moldo point on the LAC on August 2. The engagements between the diplomats and military commanders, however, could not end the stalemate over the withdrawal of troops.

The virtual meeting between the senior Indian and Chinese diplomats on Thursday was held to make yet another attempt to end the impasse and restart the “disengagement” process.

They “agreed to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols”, said the MEA spokesperson, adding: “The two sides were in agreement that restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.”

They agreed to continue to “sincerely” work towards “complete disengagement of the troops” along the LAC accordance with the consensus reached during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on June 17 – just two days after the June 15 violent face-off between the soldiers of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA in Galwan Valley. Wang and India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval – the Special Representatives of the two governments for boundary negotiations – also spoke to each other over the phone on July 5.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government said that the two sides agreed to “properly handle remaining issues on the ground and jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area”.