India, China to hold today’s commander-level talks, finger field disengagement main priority

India and China will be conducting military-level talks at Moldo to discuss disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) areas in dispute.

The Corps Commander-level talks will be held on the Chinese side of the LAC, according to the Indian Army. It is likely to start at 11 am.

The Indian side will focus on complete disengagement by China in the Finger area.

Ever since a face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15, both countries have held a series of talks. In the skirmish, India had lost 20 soldiers and China never officially reported the number of casualties it suffered.

During a marathon meeting between senior Indian and Chinese commanders at Moldo in June, a mutual agreement was reached to disengage from all areas of conflict along the disputed LAC.

The talks that went on for nearly 11 hours were aimed at cooling tensions and thinning the military build-up on both sides of the border.

The meeting took place between Delegations headed by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin, commander of the military area of South Xinjiang.

Yet the disengagement process has practically come to a halt despite initial development. Although China claimed disengagement had been completed at most places, New Delhi called on Beijing to work seriously along the LAC for complete de-escalation and full restoration of peace.

But despite initial progress, the disengagement process has come to a virtual halt. While China reported that disengagement had been achieved in most areas, New Delhi called on Beijing to work seriously alongside the LAC to fully de-escalate and restore peace to its maximum potential.

People familiar with developments had said that the Chinese side had yet to come to terms with the disengagement reached during the Special Representatives ‘telephone conversation on border issues and corps commanders’ meetings on July 5.

Commander of the Northern Army Lieutenant General YK Joshi had recently said that a “complex and complicated operation” requiring “diligent execution” was a disengagement between forward deployed Indian and Chinese soldiers from conflict areas along the LAC at issue.

The Chinese have, meanwhile, have maintained a build-up of close to 40,000 troops with heavy weaponry deployed in front and depth areas.

India has made it clear that the Chinese would have to fully de-escalate and push troops back to their permanent positions for the situation to be stabilized.