Amid A Long-Drawn Meeting Between Indian & Chinese Army Commanders At The LAC, No Breakthrough Yet

A meeting was held between the Corps Commander based in Leh and the Chinese Commander on 6 June in the Chushul-Moldo region. The high level militarily commanders' meeting took place after Indian and Chinese ambassadors joined along side the teams of the border working mechanism. While Officials cautioned against expectations of any immediate resolution said there could be many such meetings between the commanders of both Armies.

The meeting follows a month-long standoff between the two nations in Ladakh along the western sector at the LAC.

From Indian Army, Lt General Harinder Singh, XIV Corps Commander, led the Indian delegation to the Chinese border meeting point at Moldo near Chushul. The Chinese Army was led by Maj General Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang Military District, which is responsible for the border with Ladakh.

Lt General Singh briefed the Army chief General M M Naravane about the meeting. In the previous meetings, there have been frequent breaks as both parties got up to brief the minute of the meeting to superior. 

It was reported that Indian Commanders carried with copies of agreements signed between the two countries in 1993, 1996, 2005, 2012 and 2013 for maintenance of peace at the LAC. According to the Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility which was signed in 1993 with China, there is a 'limitation" of military deployment at the LAC.

Ministry Of External Affairs(MEA) said: "It took place in a cordial and positive atmosphere. Both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements and keeping in view the agreement between the leaders that peace and tranquility in the India-China border regions is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations."

According to the Officials, the focus is to maintain the status quo at the LAC. The issues of patrolling in the Pangong Tso area of up to Finger 8 which is the LAC point on the northern bank of the lake is also heavy on discussion as Chinese has been obstructing Indian troops.

It is learnt that Chinese Army has changed the status quo around Pangong Tso leading at the Fingers, the mountain spurs along the lake and built military infrastructures along the Line of Actual Control.

MEA issued a statement said both sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship.

Indian Army also issued a short and cautionary note saying that Indian and Chinese officials continue to remain engaged through the established military and diplomatic channels to address the current situation in the India-China border areas.  At this stage, therefore, any speculative and unsubstantiated reporting about these engagements would not be helpful.