India and China will conduct another round of Corp Commander level Military talks on August 14. This will be the 19th such meeting since the military impasse broke out between India and China. Three years ago in May 2020, the Chinese aggressively tried to cross the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The 19th Round
The military talks will be held at the Chushul-Moldo border in the eastern Ladakh sector. Lt. General Rashim Bali, Corps Group Commander of Ladakh Fire and Fury Corps Commander will be leading the Indian delegation. The delegation will also include officers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), who are deployed on the frontline along LAC. Officials from the External Affairs Ministry will also be present.
The Chinese side will be led by the Military Chief of the South Xinjiang Military district. The two countries will reportedly be discussing DBO and CNN junction issues. The Indian delegation is expected to ask the Chinese officials to de-escalate from the Demchok region in Eastern Ladakh.
Previous Efforts
Four months earlier in April, the 18th round of high-level talks were conducted. But the meeting was unsuccessful in resolving the remaining points of friction. According to reports, the Indian side insisted on speedy resolution of the rough patches of Depsang and Demchok. This was ahead of the Chinese Defence Minister Li’s visit to New Delhi for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)on April 27-28. India is currently holding the presidency of SCO.
According to reports, the Chinese army had set up tents close to the Indian side of LAC in Demchok. These were later removed by the Indian Army. The People’s Liberation Army has been restricting Indian grazers from carrying out their activities in this area. The Indian Army looked into the matter and handed it locally.
The 19th round of high-level talks will also discuss another point of friction between Beijing and New Delhi which is rapid infrastructural development. Both countries have increased investment in infrastructure around the LAC. The Depsang plains area remains the major deadlock, which is likely to be addressed in the meeting.
Despite repeated military talks, India and China remain in a standoff since the violent clash in Galwan in May 2020. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the clash while the Chinese suffered an even higher casualty. This was one of the worst in 45 years. India is making an effort to ease the tensions between both, military and diplomatic fronts.
Is the Situation Really Improving?
Going by recent events, we have entered the fourth year of continued tensions with China which do not seem to be resolved anytime soon. Hence, the Indian Army has increased military deployment in the LAC region in order to be combat-ready.
While interacting with a group of journalists, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India and China made progress in five to six major friction points in the Ladakh region through multiple talks conducted in the previous three years. He assured that efforts are being made to resolve the remaining issues. He concluded by adding, “At times diplomacy takes time. These are complex issues”.
The effect of the military talks over the years could be noted in the fact that both sides have moved away from the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.
