New Delhi: Without divulging any specifics, India Thursday reiterated that it is looking at an “early resolution” to the border standoff with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, even as Beijing said an agreement has been reached.
India and China have been engaged in a major border standoff since late April that has heightened tensions between the two, for the first time since the 2017 Doklam incident.
Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, Thursday said following the commander-level meeting between both sides last Saturday, New Delhi and Beijing have “agreed that an early resolution of the situation would be in keeping with the guidance of the leaders”.
The talks between the military commanders of India and China were held in the Chushul-Moldo region. The meeting was convened between Lt Gen Harinder Singh, Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps who led the Indian delegation, and South Xinjiang Military District Commander Major General Liu Lin.
“This meeting was in continuation of the diplomatic and military engagements that both sides have maintained to address the situation in areas along the India-China border,” Srivastava said. “The two sides are, therefore, maintaining their military and diplomatic engagements to peacefully resolve the situation at the earliest as also to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas. This is essential for the further development of Indian-China bilateral relations.”
On Sunday, the MEA had stated that the matter will be resolved keeping in mind the understanding reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the two informal summits of Wuhan (2018) and Mamallapuram (2019).
Agreement reached: China
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying Thursday suggested that an agreement had been reached. “China and India have conducted effective communication and reached an agreement on properly handling the situation in the west section of the China-India boundary. At present, the two sides are taking actions in line with the agreement to ameliorate the border situation,” Chunying said.
The army commanders’ meeting had been preceded by a video-conference between Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia), and Wu Jianghao, Director-General in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, last Friday.
Also read: Ladakh standoff shows ‘unwritten’ LAC will continue to be a thorn between India and China
The situation is hazy; are the Chinese withdrawing or digging in? There are conflicting reports.