India, China to hold 9th Corps Commander-level talks on January 24

The talks would be held in Moldo, opposite to the Chushul sector in India

Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army would be holding their 9th round of military talks in Ladakh on Sunday with the hope of finding a solution to the border crisis that is simmering for the past nine months.

“India and China will hold the ninth round of Corps Commander level military talks on Sunday to address the ongoing military standoff in eastern Ladakh. The talks would be held in Moldo opposite the Chushul sector in India,” sources said here on Saturday.

While a breakthrough may be unlikely, sources said that both sides agreeing to hold the ninth round after more than two months might be construed as a positive signal.

Also read — India developing infrastructure in border areas, will not reduce troops unless China initiates process: Rajnath Singh

Though New Delhi proposed the ninth round soon after the eighth round on November 6, Beijing took a long time to decide.

Like the previous few rounds, a representative of the Ministry of External Affairs would be present in the Indian delegation, which would be led by Lt Gen PG K Menon, General Officer Commanding, 14 Corps.

Earlier this month, Indian Army chief Gen M M Naravane stated that the Indian armed forces would hold on to their positions in eastern Ladakh including those overlooking the Moldo garrison as long as it took for the two nations to resolve the Sino-Indian border crisis following a principle of “mutual and equal security.”

The Army Chief said that there was no thinning of troops at the friction points on the Line of Actual Control – the disputed boundary between the two countries – but both sides withdrew some of the troops from the depth areas. India has made adequate arrangements to stay put on the icy heights and withstand the harsh winter.

Thousands of Indian and PLA troops are in a face-off since May as the biggest Sino-Indian border crisis since the 1962 war flared up on the banks of the Pangong lake and other areas on the LAC. The talks have not yielded the desired results so far because of the lack of trust between the two sides with the Centre apprehending that the deployment on the LAC would be a permanent feature much like the LAC.