India-China military delegates meet today to resolve border issues

New Delhi, June 29 (IANS): Amid tension at the borders, top Indian and Chinese military delegations will meet for the third time on Tuesday in Chushul in Leh district, sources said

The meeting will begin at 10.30 am on Tuesday morning.

“This time the talks will be held in Chushul on the Indian side. The last two meetings were held in Moldo on the Chinese side,” said sources, adding that the agenda of the meeting would be to take forward the proposals made by both the countries for disengagement.

“All contentious areas during the current standoff will be discussed to stabilise the situation,” sources added. The last two meetings at the Corp Commander level were held on June 6 and June 22. On June 22, talks took place between Indian and Chinese military delegates for around 11 hours.

The dialogue was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and there was “mutual consensus to disengage”.

“Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed,” the Indian Army had stated.

The meeting between 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief Major General Liu Lin happened on the lines of the one they held at the Chushul-Moldo border personnel meeting (BPM) point in eastern Ladakh on June 6.

Also, Major General-level dialogue took place for three consecutive days after the violent clash at Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley on June 15 left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

The three-day talks were carried out to ease the tense situation and to get 10 Indian soldiers released, including four officers, who were in Chinese captivity.

The clash occurred at the South bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before its confluence with Shayok river, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops.