JOIN USNo breakthrough in 14th round of India-China border talks
The 14th round of negotiations between military commanders of India and China did not immediately yield any breakthrough in resolving the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The two sides, however, agreed to “stay in close contact and maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest”, according to a joint press-release issued simultaneously in New Delhi and Beijing on Thursday. The commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) also agreed that they would hold the next round of talks at the earliest.
Though the meeting between the military commanders of the two nations went on for more than 12 hours on Wednesday, they could not reach an agreement.
A deal on mutual withdrawal of the frontline troops from Hot Springs was perceived as a “low-hanging fruit” for the negotiators to yield. A proposed deal on disengagement of troops from another face-off point – Kongka La – was also on the agenda.
Though the two sides had extensive discussion on both the proposals as well as on disengagement in other face-off points along the LAC, the meeting ended without a deal. The military commanders of the two nations finally agreed that they would need more time to seek guidance from New Delhi and Beijing respectively in order to move forward. “We can expect a breakthrough in the next round of talks,” a source told DH, indicating that negotiation remained on track, despite failure by the two sides to immediately clinch a deal.
The two sides had “a frank and in-depth exchange of views” for resolution of 21-month-long standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. “They agreed that both sides should follow the guidance provided by the State Leaders and work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. It was noted that this would help in restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the western sector and enable progress in bilateral relations,” according to the joint press-release issued in New Delhi and Beijing. They also agreed to consolidate on the previous outcomes and take effective efforts to maintain security and stability on the ground, including during winter, it added.
The 14th round of negotiations between the commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA, however, saw both sides returning to the practice of issuing joint press-releases after the talks. The previous round of negotiations on October 10 last year had ended in a stalemate, with no joint press-release being issued. The two governments had issued separate statements in New Delhi and Beijing, blaming each other for failure of talks. It took three months to end the stalemate and restart the negotiation at the level of the military commanders.
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