LAC row: No forward movement in talks, India, China agree to resolve issues

It said that in the interim, the two sides have agreed to maintain the peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas.

On Monday, the two sides held the 19th round of military talks at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side.

As reported by The Indian Express, the focus of the meeting was on confidence building and ensuring adherence to border protocols and sharing of patrol information between troops of the two sides to avoid clashes.

“The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner,” the joint statement said.

Sources in the government said that India had pressed for access to all old patrolling points along the LAC for early disengagement at the remaining friction points including legacy ones such as Depsang Plains and Demchok in the meeting. An overall reduction in troop density in the Ladakh region was also part of the agenda.

A second source in the government told The Indian Express that there were discussions on ensuring that there was no construction of new posts in the immediate vicinity of the LAC.

Continuing with various confidence-building measures to reduce the trust deficit between the two sides, maintaining the sanctity of buffer zones until a decision is reached on providing complete access to old patrolling points along the LAC, and working out the finer details on limit of patrolling in these areas were part of the discussion.

Regular interaction at battalion level and avoiding violation by drones by either side were also up for discussion.

XIV Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali led the Indian delegation at the talks. The meeting was held ahead of the BRICS Summit in South Africa where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be present.

President Xi is scheduled to visit India for the G20 Summit next month.

There has not been any significant forward movement in the last few rounds of military talks on resolving the pre-2020 issues of Depsang Plains and Demchok or on a de-escalation of troops in the Ladakh region.

The last major development was in September last year when both sides pulled back troops to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of eastern Ladakh.

Friction points such as Galwan Valley, north and south banks of Pangong Tso and the Gogra-Hot Springs area were resolved to an extent after multiple rounds of talks and creation of buffer zones.