India, China fail to resolve remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at 15th round of military talks

The 15th round of negotiations between the military commanders of India and China has not yielded any breakthrough in resolving the stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, although they agreed to continue dialogue.

Though the meeting between the military commanders of the two nations went on for more than 12 hours on Friday, they could not immediately reach an agreement for mutual withdrawal of front-line troops from Hot Springs area (Patrol Point 15) as well as from other face-off points along the LAC.

The 15th round of negotiations between the senior commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) started at around 10:00 am and continued till 11 pm. The Indian Army's delegation was headed by the commander of its XIV Corps, Lt. Gen. Anindya Sengupta, while the Chinese PLA's negotiators were led by the commander of its South Xinjiang Military District.

A deal for mutual withdrawal of the front-line troops from the Hot Springs area was being perceived as a “low-hanging fruit” for the negotiators to yield for the past few months. The two sides, however, could not clinch the deal on Saturday, just as they had failed to do it on January 12, when the 14th round of negotiations was held.

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The two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground till the resolution of the ongoing military stand-off between the two nations along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. They agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest, according to a joint press release issued by the both sides.

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The two sides carried forward their discussions from the 14th round of negotiations for the resolution of the stand-off along the LAC. They had a detailed exchange of views in this regard, in keeping with the guidance provided by the State Leaders to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest, according to the joint press-release issued on Saturday.

They reaffirmed that such a resolution would help restore peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the western sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations.

Protracted negotiations between the two sides earlier had deals for disengagement of troops from Galwan Valley in June 2020, from both banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021 and from Gogra Post in August 2021.

India’s relations with China hit a new low over the two-year-long military stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The stand-off started in April-May 2020 with the Chinese PLA amassing a large number of troops along the LAC in an apparent move to change the status quo along the disputed boundary between the two nations and push the line westward to encroach into the territory claimed by India. The Indian Army also deployed additional troops to counter the Chinese Army’s move, leading to the stand-off.

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