Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries

India and China agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels and discussed a blueprint to initiate disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the 8th round of Corps Commander Level talks held at Chushul.

Releasing a joint statement on the meeting on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said that the two sides had a “candid, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.”

India and China agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, ensure their frontline troops to exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation, the statement said.

“Both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and, taking forward the discussions at this meeting, push for the settlement of other outstanding issues, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” the Joint Statement said.

The nations can also hold another meeting soon as the two sides agreed on it during the 8th round of the Corps Commander Level Meeting.

Over the past few months, India has engaged with China through military as well as diplomatic channels to initiate troops disengagement along the LAC in Ladakh.

Both sides held the 7th round of the Corps Commander Level Meeting on October 12 during which China pressed for withdrawal of Indian troops from various areas around Pangong Lake. However, India stood firmly by its decision that the disengagement process had to start simultaneously.

During the talks, India and China had also agreed not to let differences turn into disputes.

Tensions along the LAC touched a new high after 20 India soldiers were killed in action during a violent faceoff with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley on the night of June 15. China too suffered casualties though it has never come out with an official figure.

Following the clash, India and China deployed troops along the LAC in huge numbers. According to some estimates, India has about 50,000 combat-ready troops deployed in various sectors in Ladakh. China is also reported to have massed a large number of troops along the LAC.

Since the Galwan Valley faceoff, India and China have held several rounds of discussions to resolve border tension.

On September 10, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi in Moscow on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s ministerial meet.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe in Moscow a week earlier, and there too the Indian side had pushed for an early resolution of the ongoing tensions along the LAC.