India, China to hold 10th round of Corps Commander-level talks over LAC stand-off soon

India and China have agreed to soon hold the next round of Corps Commander-level talks, to steer the de-escalation process in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

During the ninth round of military talks held last week, the two countries had agreed to push for an early disengagement of troops and to continue "effective efforts" to stabilize and control the situation in eastern Ladakh.

"It was said that both sides agreed to follow the important consensus of the leaders of the respective country and maintain the momentum of talks," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said after the ninth round of military talks.

When was asked about the status of negotiations on the border standoff, Srivastava said it was also agreed to soon hold the 10th round of Corps Commander-level dialogue to take forward the de-escalation process.

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During the meetings, both India and China held extensive deliberations on modalities for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh where the two militaries are engaged in a fierce face-off for nine months. India has maintained that the disengagement process must start simultaneously at all friction points and no selective approach would be accepted.

Nearly 1,00,000 Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in eastern Ladakh border, holding on to their ground, ready for a long-haul, amid ongoing diplomatic and military talks to reach an amicable solution. Throughout the military-level talks, India has been demanding restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The face-off began on May 5, 2020.

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India & China aim to reach a 5-point agreement

Last month, India and China held another round of diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, but no concrete outcome emerged from the meeting.

After the sixth round of military talks, the two sides had announced several important decisions such as limiting the number of troops to the frontline, refraining from unilaterally changing the status quo, and avoiding any actions that may further complicate the matters.

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This round was aimed at exploring ways to reach a five-point agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave. The five-point pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management, and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

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