India and China hold Corps Commander talks to ease border tension

Kathmandu: The Corps Commanders of India and China have held the 18th round of talks on bringing down the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh on Sunday.

The meeting, led by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali from Indian side and an equivalent rank officer from the Chinese side, have taken place on Sunday in the eastern Ladakh sector, news agency ANI reported citing defence sources.

This meeting comes after a five-month hiatus. The last meeting between the two sides at the Corps Commander level was conducted in December of last year. The meeting has taken place at a time when both sides are engaged in rapid construction activities along their respective border areas in order to strengthen their respective positions.

Both sides have repeatedly raised the issue of the Depsang plains, Demchok, and disengagement.

After the Chinese side tried to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by aggressively moving forward with heavy weaponry and a large number of troops in 2020 during the initial period of the Covid pandemic, corps commander-level talks began to resolve the issues between the two sides in the eastern Ladakh area.

To avoid confrontations, both sides have disengaged and moved to new positions. During the talks, the two sides agreed to maintain close contact and dialogue through military and diplomatic channels in order to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues as soon as possible.

The Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu will also be in India next week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting. The meeting is scheduled to be held on April 27 and 28. This will be the first visit of Li Shangfu as he was appointed as China’s new Defence Minister in March.