India hopes 'continued dialogue' with China will end stand-off along LAC

Army Chief says talks resulted in 'a lot of disengagement' by both sides on stand-off points along LAC in eastern Ladakh

India hopes that "continued dialogue" between its military officials and their counterparts in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will end the stand-off along the entire stretch of the disputed boundary between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

New Delhi on Saturday officially acknowledged that talks between military officials of India and China resulted in disengagement by both the Chinese PLA and the Indian Army from several stand-off points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) - the de facto boundary between the two nations.

Also read — India's bridge, China's bunker block road to detente on LAC

"I would like to assure everyone that entire situation along our borders with China is under control," Gen M M Naravane, the chief of Indian Army, said in Dehradun on Saturday. "We're having a series of talks which started with Corps Commander-level talks and has been followed up with meetings at local levels between commanders of equivalent ranks. "

Lt Gen Harinder Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 14 corps of the Indian Army, led the delegation from India in the meeting with the Chinese PLA officials at Chushul-Moldo point on the LAC on June 6. The Chinese PLA delegation was led by its commander in charge of the South Xinjiang Military Region, Maj Gen Liu Lin. Major General Abhijeet Bapat of the 3 Infantry Division of the Indian Army and his counterpart in the PLA followed it up with several meetings, including one on Friday.

"We are hopeful that through the continued dialogue we're having, all perceived differences that we (India and China) have will be set to rest. Everything is under control," said Gen Naravane.

Also read — Country passing through difficult times: Army Chief

The PLA thinned out its troops from at least four stand-off points along the LAC over the past few days. But it did not withdraw its soldiers, who transgressed the LAC into the territory of India on the northern bank of the Pangong Tso lake.

China also maintained additional troops it deployed on its side of the LAC after the stand-off started following a scuffle between its soldiers and the Indian Army personnel on May 5.

What made it difficult to fully resolve the stand-off is the Chinese PLA’s refusal to withdraw troops from “Finger 4” on the bank of the Pangong Tso lake and demolish the bunker and the moat-like structure it built to deny Indian Army soldiers access to an area they regularly patrolled before the stand-off started.

Also read — Stand-off still on, India says peace on border with China essential for ties to grow

New Delhi also rejected Beijing’s demand to stop construction of a bridge over a rivulet. The bridge is being constructed on one of the roads India is building to its forward positions along the disputed boundary with China. The new roads will be linked with the 255-kilometre-long strategic road that the Border Roads Organization of India has already constructed from Darbuk via Shyok to its Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) military base. A source in New Delhi stated that the location of the bridge was not close to the LAC and the area where it is being built undisputedly belongs to India.

India conveyed to China during engagements between diplomats and military officials that it was well within its sovereign rights to build infrastructure in its territory and it would keep doing so.

As the stand-off between Indian Army and the Chinese PLA continued along the disputed boundary between the two nations in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held another meeting with the top military brass on Friday and reviewed the situation.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the chiefs of the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy – General Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K Singh Bhadauria and Admiral Karambir Singh – attended the meeting with the defence minister. He was briefed about the follow-ups to the June 6 meeting between the Corps Commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA.