India, China hold 16-hour long military talks on withdrawal of troops in eastern Ladakh

After more than two months, the Indian and Chinese armies held the ninth round of talks on Sunday that lasted for nearly 16 hours as the two sides held detailed discussions on withdrawal of troops from all disputed areas in eastern Ladakh, PTI reported on Monday quoting sources.

The Corps Commander-level meeting began at around 10.30 am on Sunday at Moldo border point on the Chinese side and concluded at 2.30 am on Monday, the sources said. The outcome of the meeting is not yet known.

According to the sources, India maintained its stand and said that it was up to China to carry forward the process of disengagement from the friction points.

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Until now, around 100,000 Indian and Chinese soldiers are deployed in eastern Ladakh as both sides have been holding on to their ground and showing readiness for a long-haul, amid continuing diplomatic and military talks to find a peaceful solution.

Sunday’s talks took place nearly two weeks after India handed back a soldier of the People’s Liberation Army to China after apprehending him at the southern bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. 

Lt Gen PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps led the Indian side at the meeting.

In the military talks, India has all along been demanding restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The face-off had begun on May 5.

The last meeting, which took place on November 6, seen the discussion of disengagement of troops, however, it remained inconclusive.

Both the nations last month held another round of diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs. However, no concrete outcome emerged from the meeting.

The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.