India-China Meet Ends; Both Agree On Next Round Of Military Talks

New Delhi: The latest round of diplomatic talks on the border standoff in the Ladakh sector between India and China ended on Thursday with an agreement on holding the next round of discussion between senior military commanders at the earliest.

The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination’s  (WMCC) virtual meeting on border standoff was held against the backdrop of emerging evidence of China building infrastructure and villages in disputed sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“It was agreed that both sides should hold the next (14th) round of the senior commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all the friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols,” according to a statement from the external affairs ministry post the WMCC meeting.

According to a readout from China’s foreign ministry, the two sides were in agreement of maintaining dialogue through diplomatic and military channels, and “actively prepare for the 14th round of military commander-level talks, and make efforts to resolve the remaining issues” in the western sector.

Both parties described the WMCC meeting as “candid and in-depth”.

It may be recalled that the last round of military talks between the senior commanders, which was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on October 10, had no substantial progress after Beijing contended that New Delhi had made “unreasonable and unrealistic demands”.

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