India, China agree to maintain security, stability along LAC
New Delhi, April 24: During the 18th round of Corps Commander Level Meetings, India and China committed to maintaining security and stability on the ground in the LAC's Western Sector.
The two parties agreed to keep close contact and dialogue through military and diplomatic channels to resolve the remaining concerns as soon as possible. On Sunday, the 18th session of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side.
"A frank and in-depth discussion was held between the two sides on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations," the official release added.
According to defence sources, the meeting was headed by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali from the Indian side and an equivalent rank official from the Chinese side.
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The meeting took place after a five-month hiatus. The two parties' last interaction at the Corps Commander level was in December of last year.
The meeting took place at a time when both sides are engaged in rapid construction activities along their respective border areas in order to bolster their respective positions. Both parties have often raised the topic of the Depsang plains, Demchok, and disengagement.
After the Chinese side tried to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by aggressively moving forward with heavy weaponry and a large number of troops in 2020 during the initial period of the Covid pandemic, corps commander-level talks began to resolve the issues between the two sides in the eastern Ladakh area.
The Chinese side does not appear to be eager to resolve the issues and is not permitting any forward movement on legacy concerns such as the Depsang plains.
They have been preventing Indian patrols from moving to their patrolling positions in that sector for quite some time.
The Chinese Defence Minister will also be in India next week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' conference in the national capital.
The possibilities of the two sides de-escalating in the immediate future do not appear promising, and the Indian side is continuing to deploy significantly in the area to defend against any Chinese attempts to change the status quo, as they continue to do.
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- ANI
