Indian, Chinese military hold talks to resolve border issue

A satellite image taken over Galwan Valley in Ladakh, India, parts of which are contested with China, on 16 June 2020, in this handout obtained from Planet Labs Planet Lab Inc/ Reuters

Talks between top Indian and Chinese military delegates started on Tuesday morning to resolve the border issue in eastern Ladakh.

The meeting is taking place at Chushul wherein India has put a strong message that China’s People’s Liberation Army troops have not been aided by the disengagement consensus.

This is the third meeting between both country’s military delegates. Last two meetings at Corp Commanders level were held on 6 June and 22 June.

This time it’s being held in Chushul on the Indian side. Last two meetings were in Moldo on Chinese side. “All contentious areas during the current stand-off will be discussed to stabilize the situation,” a source said.

China had agreed to move back in Pangong Tso but it did not. India claims Line of Actual Control at Finger 8 and Chinese are sitting between Finger 4 and Finger 5. Similar, differences exist in Depsang and Demchok areas.

On 22 June, the talks took place for around 11 hours between India and China military delegates. The dialogue was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and there was a “mutual consensus to disengage”.

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

On 22 June, the corps commanders of two countries’ military met at Moldo to resolve the border issue and ease tension in Eastern Ladakh. It was the second such meeting after the first one on June 6 to defuse the tensions in Eastern Ladakh.

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 6 June.

Also Major General level dialogue took place for three consecutive days after the barbaric attack at patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley on 15 June night where 20 Indian soldiers were killed. The three consecutive days talks were carried out to ease out the tense situation and to get released 10 Indian soldiers, including four officers, who were in Chinese captivity.

Major General Abhijit Bapat, who is the Commander of the 3 Division of the Indian Army, had raised several points with the Chinese with regards to the incident on the night intervening 15-16 June.

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.

It is the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

Sources said Indian Army troopers were outnumbered by 1:5 ratio when they came under attack from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers at patrolling point number 14 in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

China’s PLA troopers “savagely attacked” Indian Army personnel, according to sources in the government with knowledge of the details of the Monday night clashes between the two army soldiers.

“The numbers were stacked up against the Indian Army troopers. Yet, the Indian side decided to fight the PLA troopers. The Indian soldiers were outnumbers 1:5 by the Chinese troopers,” a source said on Wednesday.

China is also said to have used thermal imaging drones to trace the Indian Army soldiers scattered on the treacherous terrain before brutally attacking them.

“It was the deadliest attack carried on Indian Army personnel by the Chinese military personnel to our memory,” the government sources said.

Several Indian Army soldiers are currently “critically injured” and are undergoing treatment. - Collected from "Prothom Alo"