India, China to hold 13th round of LAC talks today
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will on Sunday hold the next round of military talks to cool tensions along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the dialogue expected to focus on hammering out a disengagement plan for rival frontline soldiers deployed at Hot Springs, which is one of the friction points on LAC, officials familiar with the developments said on Saturday.
The 13th round of talks between corps commanderranked officers will be held at Moldo on the Chinese side of LAC, said one of the officials cited above. It will begin at 10.30 am. The last round of military talks was held on August 2 after which the two armies pulled back their forward deployed troops from Gogra or Patrol Point-17A, which was one of the friction points on LAC.
It was the second round of disengagement this year after the two sides pulled back their troops and weaponry from the Pangong Tso sector in mid-February.
“Problems at Hot Springs or Patrol Point-15 are likely to be discussed during the talks. We are hopeful of positive outcomes that will take the disengagement process forward,” said a second official.
If PLA is there to stay in the Ladakh theatre, so is the Indian Army, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane said on the eve of the talks, referring to the massive military buildup and infrastructure development by the neighbouring army across LAC.
“It is a matter of concern that the large-scale buildup that occurred last year (when the border row erupted) continues to be in place. To sustain that kind of buildup, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side. It means that they (PLA) are there to stay. But if they are there to stay, we are there to stay too,” he said at the India Today conclave.
India and China have been locked in a border standoff for 17 months and despite two rounds of disengagement at friction points this year, the two sides still have 50,000 to 60,000 troops each in the Ladakh theatre.
The 13th round of military dialogue follows a face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers along LAC in Arunachal Pradesh’s sensitive Tawang sector last week and another incursion by PLA in Uttarakhand on August 30.
“PLA plans to keep the entire border active so that they can keep reinforcing their claims. It can also be an act of creeping assertiveness to subsequently lay a claim to these areas,” former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General BS Jaswal (retd) said on Friday.
Top Indian and Chinese commanders agreed to a speedy resolution of outstanding issues on LAC at the 12th round of talks, with the dialogue focusing on disengagement of rival troops from the remaining flashpoints on the contested border.
A joint statement issued after the 12th round described the talks as “a candid and in-depth exchange of views on resolution of remaining areas related to disengagement along LAC in the Western Sector of IndiaChina border areas.”
After the disengagement of troops from Gogra, former Northern Army commander
land on mapping groundwater resources and aquifers.
The Indian Institute of Science-Bengaluru and Denamrk’s Danfoss Industries Private Limited inked an MoU to establish a centre of excellence on natural refrigerants for tropical climates.
A traditional knowledge digital library access agreement was signed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office, while the skill development ministry and the Danish government signed a joint letter of intent.
Three commercial agreements announced on Saturday were an MoU between Reliance Industries and Stiesdal Fuel Technologies for developing a hydrogen electrolyser and its manufacturing and deployment in India, an MoU between Infosys Technologies and Aarhus University to establish a centre of excellence for sustainability solutions in Denmark, and an MoU between the Observer Research Foundation and State of Green on research on green transition.
Modi welcomed Denmark’s decision to join the International Solar Alliance, saying this has added a new dimension to bilateral cooperation. He also thanked Denmark for backing India at different international forums.
The two sides also decided to expand the scope of their cooperation, including a new partnership in health. “In order to increase agricultural productivity and income of farmers in India, we have decided to cooperate in agriculture-related technology. Under this, work will be done on technologies in many areas such as food safety, cold chain, food processing, fertilisers, fisheries and aquaculture,”,
Modi said.
India and Denmark will also cooperate in smart water resource management, “waste to best”, and efficient supply chains.
Modi referred to Danish companies that have been working in India for a long time in areas such as energy, food processing, logistics, infrastructure and machinery, and said reforms in the domestic economy, especially steps in the manufacturing sector, are facilitating many opportunities for these firms.
LAKHIMPUR
“brutal murder of eight persons”.
Opposition and farmer leaders continued to step up pressure on the ruling BJP, demanding the sacking of Ajay Mishra from the Union Council of Ministers and the arrest of the minister and his son.
Ajay Mishra should be “dismissed from the cabinet and arrested on charges of spreading disharmony, murder and conspiracy. He is also protecting the culprits in the case”, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Yogendra Yadav alleged during a press conference in Delhi.
SKM is spearheading the agitation against the Centre’s three farm laws.
“His son Ashish Mishra and his associates, who have been accused of murder, should be arrested immediately,” he said.
LAC
Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd) said, “Hopefully, it can provide grounds for further disengagement in other areas. The real test will come when Depsang is discussed, and a breakthrough here could lead to a major de-escalation.” To be sure, the problems at Depsang predate the current border standoff.