India, China talks: A year on, issues persist

NEW DELHI: The Indian and Chinese armies began negotiations to resolve the border row in eastern Ladakh exactly a year ago, but the two sides have only had limited success in hammering out an agreement for disengagement of rival soldiers deployed at friction points on the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), people tracking the military talks said on Saturday.

The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have held 11 rounds of talks between corps commander-ranked officers since June 6, 2020 to reduce tensions along the disputed border.

The only significant outcome of military dialogue has been disengagement of front-line troops and weaponry in the Pangong Tso sector in mid-february after the ninth round of talks, one of the officials cited above said on condition of anonymity.

“Disengagement is stuck at the other friction points. Talks have not made any headway in resolving the problems at Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang. Negotiations are on but there is no end in sight to the standoff. We will continue to engage the Chinese side to find a solution,” said a second official, asking not to be named.

Both armies have 50,000 to 60,000 troops each in the Ladakh theatre and the deployments haven’t thinned after the disengagement in the Pangong Tso sector.

On May 28, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said his soldiers were on high alert as the PLA continued to base its troops and mechanised elements including tanks in its “immediate depth” across the LAC from where they could be deployed to forward areas at short notice. Naravane said results should not be expected after every round of talks, citing