Ahead of the 13th round of talks between Indian and Chinese militaries on Sunday, Army Chief General MM Naravane has said that there is no change in India’s stance when it comes to guarding the Indian orders against external aggressions along the Line of Actual Control.

Speaking at a conclave in the national capital on Saturday, Naravane acknowledged that a large-scale build-up along the LAC is a matter of concern, but added that if the ‘PLA are there to stay, we are there to stay too’.

“Yes, it is a matter of concern that the large-scale build-up has occurred and continues to be in place, and to sustain that kind of a build-up, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side… So, it means that they (PLA) are there to stay. We are keeping a close watch on all these developments, but if they are there to stay, we are there to stay too,” he said at the India Today conclave, news agency PTI quoted.

India firm on complete disengagement along LAC

The 13th round of Corps Commander level talks between India and China started at 10.30 am on Sunday to resolve the ongoing military stand-off along the line of actual control in eastern Ladakh. Earlier this week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) hoped that China would work towards an early resolution of the outstanding issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

The two sides have held 12 rounds of military-to-military talks and diplomatic engagements, including one between EAM S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. While disengagement has taken place at certain locations in Eastern Ladakh, India is firm on its stated stand that de-escalation is possible only if complete disengagement takes place.