India and China are holding the 18th session of Corps Commander Level discussions on Sunday (today) at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the Eastern Ladakh region, in an attempt to settle the three-year-old military standoff. The conference, chaired by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali and an equivalent rank officer from the Chinese side, is taking place today in the eastern Ladakh region, according to defence sources. This gathering comes after a five-month hiatus. The two parties’ last interaction at the Corps Commander level was in December of last year.
India-China Corps Commander Talks
The conference takes place at a time when both sides are engaged in rapid building works along their respective border areas in order to bolster their respective positions. Both parties have often raised the topic of the Depsang plains, Demchok, and disengagement.
After the Chinese side tried to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by aggressively moving forward with heavy weaponry and a large number of troops in 2020 during the initial period of the Covid pandemic, corps commander-level talks began to resolve the issues between the two sides in the eastern Ladakh area. To prevent clashes, both sides have withdrawn and relocated to other positions. During the meetings, the two parties agreed to keep continuous communication and dialogue through military and diplomatic channels in order to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the outstanding issues as soon as possible.
However, the Chinese side does not appear to be in a hurry to address the concerns and is refusing to allow any forward action on legacy issues such as the Depsang plains. They have been preventing Indian patrols from moving to their patrolling positions in that sector for quite some time. The Chinese Defence Minister will also be in India next week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ conference in the national capital.
The possibilities of the two sides de-escalating in the immediate future do not appear promising, and the Indian side is continuing to deploy significantly in the area to defend against any Chinese attempts to change the status quo, as they continue to do. One such attempt was foiled in December last year in Yangtse when a Chinese group was forced back to its area after attempting to approach Indian positions on the LAC there.
To crack the SSB Interview and join the Indian Army as an Officer, You can join our SSB interview live classes batch and we recommend you to Enroll SSB INTERVIEW ONLINE COURSE. Trusted by thousands of defence aspirants.
Also read:
- China Advancing Air Surveillance Radars Near Indian Border
- How Is China Expanding Its Naval Presence In Indian Ocean
- How India’s UAV Programme Is Lacking Behind Against China’s Close To Deploying Supersonic Spy Drones
- Indian Army Personnel To Learn Chinese At Tezpur University To Engage With PLA Troops
