India, China to hold 16th round of corps commander-level talks on July 17; What to expect-

New Delhi, July 14: The 16th round of Corps Commander-level meeting between India and China is likely to be held on July 17. The meeting would be held with the objective of discussing disengagement from friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. India will be represented by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen A Sengupta in the talks. The meetings in the past have led to disengagement from some areas including North and South Bank of Pangong Tso and Galwan but some friction points remain.

 

 

A day ago, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said talks are on to resolve the boundary issues between the two countries through discussions involving their military commanders and diplomats. He further said, "In the last two years, we have been very clear and very effective in ensuring that no attempt to change the status quo unilaterally on the line of actual control will be done by us."

 

Earlier, it was reported that a Chinese aircraft came very close to a friction point right on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in the last week of June. Following this, the Indian Air Force responded swiftly as per standard operating procedures. These reports are emerging after External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bali on the sidelines of G20 meetings.

 

 

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector. The two countries had enhanced their military deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry since the face-off. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

 

Besides, the 15th round China-India Corps Commander-Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on March 11 this year. During the meeting, the two sides had carried forward their discussions from the previous round held on January 12 this year for the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. They had a detailed exchange of views in keeping with the guidance provided by the State Leaders to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

 

 

They reaffirmed that such a resolution would help restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations. The two sides also agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector in the interim. They agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

 

India and China have been engaged in a standoff since April-May 2020 over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot springs, and Kongrung Nala. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020.