India and China have resumed diplomatic talks to resolve the ongoing military standoff between the armies of the two countries in eastern Ladakh.
Diplomats from the two sides held fresh rounds of talks on Friday after a gap of two months, Economic Times reported. The two countries have reportedly agreed to convene army commanders meet soon to carry forward the discussions on resolving the standoff.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the two sides reviewed developments on the LAC since the last meeting of WMCC and agreed to “continue to work towards ensuring complete disengagement in all friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector at the earliest”, in line with the guidance from senior leaders and agreements reached by the two foreign ministers and Special Representatives on the boundary issue.
The MEA statement further said that the two sides have agreed to hold next round of Senior Commanders meeting soon to fully restore peace and tranquality along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“Both sides agreed to maintain close consultations at the diplomatic and military level. They agreed that the next (9th) round of Senior Commanders meeting should be held at an early date so that both sides can work towards early and complete disengagement of troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, and fully restore peace and tranquillity,” the statement added.
The Chinese readout said the two sides had a “candid and in-depth exchange of views on the situation” along the LAC and agreed to continue dialogue and consultation via diplomatic and military channels.
It also added that Friday’s meeting also “focused on the disengagement of frontline troops” and “concrete measures to deal with the issues on the ground to further deescalate the border situation”.
According to the ET report, China is offering to withdraw from Finger 4 to finger 8, and in return, they want Indian Army to vacate its advantageous positions from the Kailash range. However, they remain non-committal on Depsang. The Chinese reportedly want India to give up the gains its army acquired in August this year but they themselves don't want to dilute their advantageous position in Depsang.
