LAC standoff: India, China to hold 9th round of talks soon to restore peace along border

India will soon hold its 9th round of talks with China to achieve complete disengagement and full restoration of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the external affairs ministry said on Thursday.

The border standoff along the LAC in Ladakh which started in June has entered its seventh month with both sides deploying thousands of troops backed by artillery and armoured vehicles. Reports suggest that while the two sides are considering many proposals to reduce the number of troops at certain friction points, there hasn't been a breakthrough yet.

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Earlier this month, senior military commanders of India and China held their eighth round of talks in Chushul. The November 6 discussion was also joined by joint secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava of the external affairs ministry. MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava termed the talks between the military commanders as candid, in-depth and constructive, in which both sides exchanged views on disengagement at all friction points along the LAC. 

"The objective of these discussions is to ensure complete disengagement and full restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western sector. We will continue our dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels and have also agreed to have another round of talks soon to achieve this objective," the MEA has said in a statement. 

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 India-China border standoff

The faceoff at the Line of Actual Control escalated in an unprecedented fashion when 20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway. This was followed by multiple attempts of provocation by the Chinese side at the end of August. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held a series of meetings with their respective counterparts in China on the issue.

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Meanwhile, the top Indian and Chinese leadership have participated in several virtual meetings this month, including the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping. In the consecutive meetings, India has repeatedly called for respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states. 

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