India and China hold 7th round of Military-level talks at Chushul border near LAC

In order to effectively continue the disengagement process between India and China, the seventh round of military-level talks was held on Tuesday in Chushul between the Indian army and the Chinese army.

According to a joint statement, Senior Commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese Army had a "sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas". The discussions were said to be positive, constructive and enhanced understanding of each other’s positions. The two sides have reaffirmed to continue the dialogue through military and diplomatic channels. The previous such meeting saw the participation of MEA officials from both sides.

"Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border areas," the joint release said.

All eyes are now on the virtual meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the upcoming BRICS summit on November 17 which will be the first interaction between the leader of the two South Asian powers. 

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Provocations from the Chinese Army

The military level talks are a continued effort to arrive at a consensus over the disputed border areas and to establish peace between the two countries. China in the past has engaged in repeated provocations along the 3,400 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The first such attempt in this year occurred in the Galwan valley standoff where 20 Indian Army soldiers including a commanding rank officer were martyred after a violent faceoff with Chinese PLA that took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. Reports and intercepts stated the Chinese army suffered over 40 casualties, however, the Chinese regime has refused to disclose its casualties number.

Thereafter, China once again engaged in provocative action on August 31 even as the ground commanders of the two nations were trying to de-escalate the situation. However, the Indian Army yet again foiled the attempt to unilaterally change the status quo. The Indian Army stated that it pre-empted the movement of Chinese troops on the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh and thwarted the attempts by China to unilaterally change the facts on the ground.

Chinese Army pulls back

Over several rounds of Indo-China talks, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has retreated from the Finger 4 area and Patrol point 14 along the LAC, while India pre-empted PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake capturing positions of 'strategic importance' in the Fingers area. While China has retreated from Galwan Valley, they are currently around Finger 5 area near the Pangong Tso Lake, with large troops and equipment in the 5-km stretch from Finger 5 to 8. India and China's Foreign Ministers have reached a 5-point consensus recently on LAC.

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