The talks are scheduled to take place at the Chushul Moldo meeting point on the Indian side of the LAC in the region, official sources said. The last round of talks between the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took place on March 11.

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.

“Recalling the disengagement achieved in some friction areas, the external affairs minister reiterated the need to sustain the momentum to complete disengagement from all the remaining areas to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in a statement after the meeting.

The MEA further said that Jaishankar “reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols, and the understandings reached between the two ministers during their previous conversations”. 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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The comments by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi came two days after the two sides held diplomatic talks on the lingering border standoff.

“I am not aware of any particular date that I can share with you at this point, but I would like to emphasise that we look forward to this commanders’ meeting at an early date,” Bagchi said.

In the diplomatic talks on Tuesday, India and China agreed to hold the next round of the Senior Commanders’ meeting soon to achieve complete disengagement from all friction points in eastern Ladakh.

After the talks, the MEA said it was agreed to hold the next round of military talks at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols.

The standoff began in early May of 2020. As a result of the military 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.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC are key for the overall development of the bilateral ties.

Asked about media reports of back-channel talks between India and Pakistan, Bagchi said he would not comment on speculative reports.

He said India desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in a conducive atmosphere, free of terror, hostilities and violence.

On India’s trade ties with Pakistan, he said New Delhi never felt that trade relations should be stopped.

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The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas. They recalled that since the last meeting of WMCC in November 2021, both sides have held the 14th and 15th meetings of the Senior Commanders in January and March 2022 respectively. The Foreign Minister of China H.E. Mr. Wang Yi had also visited India in March 2022 and held discussions with External Affairs Minister and the National Security Advisor.

The two sides exchanged views on the current situation along the LAC in the Western Sector in Eastern Ladakh. They agreed that as instructed by the two Foreign Ministers, both sides should continue the discussions through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC at the earliest so as to create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations. In this context, they agreed to hold the next (16th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols.

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In its annual threat assessment presented before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing on Tuesday, the US intelligence community said the expanded military posture by both India and China along the disputed border elevates the risk of armed confrontation between the two nuclear powers that might involve direct threats to US persons and interests and calls for America’s intervention.

“Relations between New Delhi and Beijing will remain strained in the wake of the lethal clash in 2020, the most serious in decades,” it said. Previous standoffs have demonstrated that persistent low-level friction on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has the potential to escalate swiftly, the report said. India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC were key for the overall development of the bilateral ties.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries 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. India and China have held 15 rounds of military talks so far to resolve the eastern Ladakh row. As a result of the 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 LAC in the sensitive sector. The assessment also noted that crises between India and Pakistan are of particular concern because of the risk — however low — of an escalatory cycle between two nuclear-armed states.

“Pakistan has a long history of supporting anti-India militant groups; under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations, and each side’s perception of heightened tensions raises the risk of conflict, with violent unrest in Kashmir or a militant attack in India being potential flashpoints,” it said.

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The Indian Army is keeping a constant eye on activities by the Chinese military including a drill it is conducting in its training areas near Ladakh region and there were no ”violations” by either side since the implementation of the disengagement in Pangong lake areas, Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane said on Wednesday. While the COAS said that the disengagement process has gone off well, Indian troops are maintaining an effective vigil to deal with any eventualities along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. On specifically being asked about the PLA deployment in training areas, he said that the Indian Army is watching it closely. Gen Naravane also confirmed that there were no “transgressions and violations” since the disengagement process took place in February and both sides are observing it in letter and spirit.

While confirming that Indian Army will maintain its enhanced presence along Northern Borders till de-escalation is achieved, the Army Chief said that he is hopeful of the progress of talks and building up trust for disengagement in other areas. After the 11th round of talks, China maintained their inflexible stand regarding other areas of friction like Depsang, Hot Spring and Gogra and the heavy deployment in training areas can be seen as a confirmation of Chinese stance of not agreeing to further disengagements along LAC. China has built permanent structures between Kangxiwar, which is located on the Xinjiang-Tibet (G219) highway just north of Aksai Chin, and Rudok, a town in Tibet just south of the eastern end of Pangong Lake.

Indian Army also moves into its training areas during this period and is expected to carry out exercises in the depth areas. With more than 90% of the armed forces personnel vaccinated, mobilisation and quick deployment will not be affected by the pandemic. Indian Army has also planned reorientation of its offensive formations to give more focus onto Northern front, keeping in mind the changed threat perceptions.

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An artillery brigade stationed 5,200 metres (17,000 feet) above sea level in Xinjiang military district has intensified its drills using a rocket system during full-wing combat-ready training, a report on the front page of PLA Daily said on Monday. The report did not give the type or firing range of the weapon, but said it was a system with a long-range rocket with precision strike capability, and had entered service in 2019.

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The discussion in last meeting focused on further disengagement at three friction points in Eastern Ladakh, including Gogra heights, Hot Springs and Depsang plains. India had communicated to China that the border issues in entire Eastern Ladakh has to be taken up as a whole and disengagement should happen across all disputed areas. The eleventh round meeting was expected to happen for a long time, but finally materialised on 09 April and was crucial from Indian standpoint as India wanted Depsang issue also to be resolved simultaneously.

The Corps Commanders discussed disengagement at friction areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and the 900 sq-km Depsang plains in the eleventh round as well. However the press release issued by the Ministry of Defence does not indicate much movement forward as far as future disengagement plans are concerned. It says, “The two sides had a detailed exchange of views for the resolution of the remaining issues related to disengagement along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. The two sides agreed on the need to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols. In this context it was highlighted also that completion of disengagement in other areas would pave the way for two sides to consider de-escalation of forces and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquility and enable progress in bilateral relations. The two sides agreed that it was important to take guidance from the consensus of their leaders, continue their communication and dialogue and work towards a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. They also agreed to jointly maintain stability on the ground, avoid any new incidents and jointly maintain peace in the border areas.”

It appears that both sides have stuck to their stated demands and things are moving forward very slowly. However the underlying sentiment of the press statement is positive and hopefully some concrete steps are taken before onset of summers in the high altitude areas.

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