August 16, 2023
DHAKA – India and China have agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the unresolved border between them, in eastern Ladakh of the Himalayas in an expeditious manner.
A joint statement issued today after the two-day military commander-level talks said, “The two sides had a positive, constructive, and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector,” it said.
“In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner,” the statement added.
The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13-14, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year eyeball-to-eyeball posture in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several other areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.
This was for the first time that the high-level military talks on the long-festering border row lasted for two days.
“They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels,” the statement released by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.
“In the interim (time), the two sides agreed to maintain the peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas,” it said.
The armies of India and China still have tens of thousands of troops and advanced weapon systems deployed in the Ladakh sector.
The latest round of military-level talks came ahead of a possible meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jingping on the margins of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa) summit in Johannesburg on August 22-24.