New Delhi: India and China will hold corps commander-level talks at Chushul-Moldo on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at 1030 am Tuesday but a major breakthrough seems unlikely.
The talks are part of efforts to defuse the tension in Eastern Ladakh, where the Chinese have transgressed the LAC in a number of places.
Sources in the defence and security establishment told ThePrint that it would be wrong to expect an instant solution in the talks tomorrow, which is the third such meeting taking place between 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen. Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart Major General Lin Liu, Commander of the South Xinjiang Military District.
A source, however, said that even the two commanders meeting is itself a positive development.
ThePrint had earlier reported that disengagement may happen only at the beginning of winter, and will begin with de-escalation.
“Both sides will pick up from where they had left of last time. The June 22 meeting focussed on the need to not escalate further,” the source told ThePrint. “Then de-escalation will happen and finally disengagement.”
As reported by ThePrint, both sides had on 22 June discussed the possibility of not deploying additional troops and equipment in the areas of Eastern Ladakh where there have been standoffs, besides stopping new tents and bunker construction activity in friction areas.
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Chinese expected to respond to ‘wider issues’
Sources aware of the happenings in the meeting say that the Chinese are expected to respond to “wider issues” that were raised on 22 June.
“The Chinese don’t commit to anything during the meeting,” a second source said. “They listen, present their demands. The overall stand of the Chinese is that they don’t want tensions but their words have to turn into action.”
The Chinese have transgressed the LAC by about 1.5 km in the Galwan Valley and have formed a small holding at the Y-Junction. They have also transgressed the Indian claim line by 8 km in the Pangong area and by 3 km in the Hot Spring region.
The situation at the Depsang Plains also continues to be a matter of concern with the Chinese building up a large formation of troops and equipment, forcing India to implement a mirror deployment with induction of more men, artillery and armoured units.
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