India, China will continue talks on border stand-off
NEW DELHI: India and China will continue military and diplomatic contacts to resolve a weeks-old stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the external affairs ministry said on Sunday amid indications that the two sides were hunkering down for the long haul on the issue.
An hours-long meeting on Saturday between a delegation led by Lt Gen Harinder Singh, commander of Leh-based 14 Corps, and a Chinese delegation headed by Maj Gen Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC ended without a breakthrough.
A statement by the ministry on Sunday said that “the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas”.
Saturday’s meeting between the Indian and Chinese commanders – the first meeting of top military officials since the standoff began in early May – “took place in a cordial and positive atmosphere”, the statement said. It added, “Both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements and keeping in view the agreement between the leaders that peace and tranquillity in the India-china border regions is
essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.”
“Both sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship,” it added.
People familiar with developments and who spoke on condition of anonymity said both sides