India and China on Friday are holding another round of high-level military dialogue to resolve the 22-month-long standoff in some friction points in eastern Ladakh, two months after the last round of such talks failed to yield any significant outcome. The 15th round of Corps-Commander level talks was scheduled to begin at 10 am at the Chushul-Moldo border point on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the dialogue said.
The 14th round of talks had taken place on January 12 and did not result in any significant headway in resolving the row in remaining friction points. “The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest,” a joint statement issued after the 14th round of talks said.
The main focus of the talks is expected to be the completion of the stalled disengagement process in the Hot Springs areas. The Indian delegation at the talks is being led by Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, the newly-appointed Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.
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.
