India and China commit to maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas
Holding the 20th round of Corps Commander Level Meeting earlier this week, India and China agreed to maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military as well as diplomatic mechanisms.
 
The meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on October 9-10, 2023.
 
“They agreed to maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through the relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms. They also committed to maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in the interim,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday (October 11, 2023).
 
According to the MEA, the two sides exchanged views in a frank, open and constructive manner for an early and mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector. This was in accordance with the guidance provided by the national leadership of the two countries, and building on the progress made in the last round of Corps Commanders' Meeting held on August 13-14, 2023.
 
While there has been progress in de-escalation and disengagement at several friction points along the LAC, the stalemate over some key points has now entered into the fourth year.
 
In June 2020, a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh had led to a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley. Twenty Indian soldiers had lost their lives. A large number of Chinese troops were also killed though China has never officially confirmed the actual number of deaths.
 
Multiple rounds of talks since then have led to a disengagement at several places, including in Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, and Gogra-Hot Springs (PP-15). The last two rounds of Corps Commander-level talks have, however, seen no announcement of any fresh disengagement along the remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector along the Eastern Ladakh region.
 
‘RESPECTING THE LAC ESSENTIAL FOR NORMAL TIES’
 
Respecting the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is essential for normalising India-China bilateral ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders met on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 24, 2023.

Briefing the media later, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Prime Minister Modi highlighted India's concerns on the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas.

Prime Minister Modi told President Xi during the conversation that maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas and respecting the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were essential for normalising bilateral relations, Foreign Secretary Kwatra said. He added that the two leaders agreed to “direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation”.