Indian, Chinese commanders fail to achieve any immediate breakthrough in talks to resolve LAC stand-off

The Indian and Chinese military commanders failed to achieve an immediate breakthrough even as they had a 12-hour-long meeting on Sunday to end the stalemate in negotiations to resolve the more than two-year-long military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

However, two sides issued a joint press release in New Delhi and Beijing on Monday, reaffirming that the resolution of the “remaining issues” would help in the restoration of peace and tranquility along the LAC in the western sector and enable progress in bilateral relations. The corps commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) also agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the “remaining issues” at the earliest.

Lt. Gen. Anindya Sengupta, the commander of the Indian Army’s XIV Corps, Sunday hosted his counterpart Major General Yang Lin, the chief of the South Xinjiang Military District of the Chinese PLA, for the 16th round of negotiations to end the standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. They met at the Indian Army’s post at Chushul on India’s side of its de facto boundary with China.

The talks started at 9:30 am and continued for a little over 12 hours.

Building on the progress made at the last meeting held on March 11, the two sides continued discussions for the resolution of the relevant issues, according to the statement. “They had a frank and in-depth 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.”

The two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the western sector in the interim.

A source in New Delhi said that the Indian Army was keen to end the stalemate over negotiation, particularly to reach the much-awaited deal for disengagement of troops from the Hot Springs area (Patrol Point 15) on the LAC.

Though an agreement for withdrawal of troops from Hot Springs was perceived as the “lowest hanging fruit” in the negotiation after disengagement at Gogra Post in August 2021, the two sides could not agree on it in the past 11 months. The withdrawal of troops from Hot Springs would be followed by similar deals for Depsang and Demchok. The Chinese PLA blocked the Indian Army’s access to Patrol Points 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 by deploying troops in Depsang Bulge, well inside the territory of India along the country’s LAC with China.

The negotiations between the two sides had earlier resulted in the mutual withdrawal of troops by both sides from some of the face-off points along the LAC – from the Galwan Valley in June 2020, from both banks of Pangong Tso in February 2021 and from Gogra Post in August 2021.