Both India and China are likely to hold further military talks in the upcoming days to discuss specific disengagement proposals in eastern Ladakh where their two armies are in a standoff for over six-month.
The eighth round of Corps Commander-level talks on Friday had broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points and both sides would like to take forward the “constructive” dialogue to the next round with detailed deliberations, sources told .
“Another round of talks is likely this week to discuss the proposals,” said a source. The next round of talks will also be at the level of Corps Commanders.
In a joint statement released earlier on Sunday, the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army(PLA) described Friday talks as candid, in-depth and constructive
The talks, which lasted for nearly 11 hours, were held on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Chushul at eastern Ladakh.
“Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, ensure their frontline troops exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation,” the statement said.
The statement released both in Beijing and New Delhi said both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and take forward the discussions for the settlement of outstanding issuues.
Around 50,000 Indian troops are currently deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero conditions as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded any concrete outcome yet to resolve the standoff.
China has also deployed an equal number of troops.
India has all along been maintaining that the onus is on China to carry forward the process of disengagement and de-escalation at the friction points in eastern Ladakh.
In June 2020, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brawl in Galwan valley which reportedly led to the death of 20 Indian Soldiers. Claims have been made of death of several Chinese soldiers but there is no confirmation from the Chinese authorities.
