Highlights
- 16th round of high-level military talks were held at Indian side of LAC in eastern Ladakh
- The talks aimed to resolve the outstanding issues in remaining friction points
- The last round of talks took place on March 11
India-China military talks: The 16th round of high-level military talks between India and China are being held at the Chushul Moldo meeting point on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The talks aim to resolve the outstanding issues in the remaining friction points along the LAC in the region.
The talks started at 9:30 am. 24 members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) are present in the meeting. It includes senior military commander Maj Gen Yang Lin, 8 Working Committee members, HoD Border and coast area, and 3 members from National Defence Military among others.
Last round of talks
The last round of talks between the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) took place on March 11.
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What to expect from this round of talks
In the fresh round of talks, the Indian side is expected to press for disengagement of troops as soon as possible in all the remaining friction points besides seeking resolution of issues in Depsang Bulge and Demchok.
The situation in eastern Ladakh figured prominently in talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Bali on July 7. At the one-hour meeting on the sidelines of a conclave of foreign ministers of the G20 nations, Jaishankar conveyed to Wang the need for early resolution of all the outstanding issues in Eastern Ladakh.
Eastern Ladakh border standoff
The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.
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