India to ask China to keep its side of bargain

India will this week ask China to keep its side of the bargain to resolve the military stand-off along the disputed boundary between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

With the diplomats of the two nations likely to hold a video-conference within the next few days, New Delhi is planning to drive home the point that Beijing must do its bit and make the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) implement on the ground the understanding, which the senior military officials of the two sides had reached in the meeting on June 6.

A source in New Delhi told the DH that some recent activities of the Chinese PLA on the ground had raised doubts about its commitment to implementing the process of disengagement in accordance with the understanding reached previously.

The reports of new transgressions and build-up in Depsang Bulge and re-construction of some structures on the scene of the June 15 clash at Galwan Valley by the Chinese PLA made New Delhi suspicious about the intent of Beijing.

The source said that New Delhi would convey to Beijing China and its PLA should strictly implement the disengagement understanding in order to de-escalate the situation.

The recent clash at Galwan Valley was a setback for the process of disengagement, which was agreed upon by the Corps Commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA during the meeting at Chushul-Moldo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the de facto boundary between the two nations – on June 6.

India lost 20 of its soldiers in the clash at Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese PLA too suffered casualties, but it did not make public the numbers of its soldiers killed or injured in the violent face-off.

A week after the clash, the Corps Commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA, Lt Gen Harinder Singh and Maj Gen Liu Lin, had another marathon meeting on June 22, when they had discussed in detail the implementation of the process as agreed upon on June 6.

Naveen Srivastava, who heads the East Asia division at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), will lead the delegation of the Government of India in the video-conference. The delegation of the Chinese Government will be led by Hong Liang, the Director General of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Srivastava may also hold a separate video-conference with Hong’s colleague Wu Jianghao, Director General (Asian Affairs) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government.