LAC: India, China agree to carry forward talks

New Delhi, March 12

The Military Commanders of India and China who met for a day-long meeting on Friday failed to resolve the pending issues as regards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

The two sides have been locked in a military standoff since April last year with thousands of troops, guns, tanks and missile forces deployed on either side of the LAC. The build-up, for now, shows no signs of getting back to pre-April 2020 levels.

The meeting that ended last night was the 15th round of talks since June 6, 2020. “The two sides carried forward their discussions from the previous round held on January 12 for the resolution of relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector,” a statement of the Ministry of Defence said.

The two sides “agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues related to the border at the earliest,” the statement said.

It indicates more parleys would be needed and the issues, especially the restoration of status quo as on April 2020, remain unresolved.

“They (the military commanders) reaffirmed that such a resolution will help restore peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations,” the statement added.

The meeting started at 10 am at Chushul on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo meeting point at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. The two sides discussed disengagement of troops at patrolling point-15 (PP-15), also known as Hot Springs. The issue of the Depsang Bulge, a 972-sq km plateau, would be taken up after the Hot Springs issue got resolved.

Patrolling in disputed areas has also been suspended since April 2020. —