Signs of a forward movement in military talks between India and China

 

There are signs of a forward movement in military talks between India and China, with the neighbour agreeing to discuss disengagement at all flashpoints in eastern Ladakh and not insisting on talking about only the southern bank of Pangong Tso where the Indian Army holds dominating heights, officials familiar with developments said on Monday.

The Indian side is considering a Chinese proposal for disengagement at all friction points, including some that the neighbour had been unwilling to discuss till now, and the next meeting of the military commanders is expected to be held by Friday, the officials said, asking not to be named.

The Chinese side shared the proposal at the eighth round of talks between senior commanders from the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Chushul on November 6, said one of the officials cited above. India has been demanding that the dialogue should focus on all flashpoints along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) and not be confined to a specific sector.

The next round of talks between corps commander-ranked officers from the two armies could take place as early as this week.

There was currently no proposal for a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, which forms the diplomatic leg of the ongoing discussions on disengagement and de-escalation, the official said.

“Joint secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava of the external affairs ministry, who co-chairs the WMCC, has been part of the most recent meetings of the military commanders and there is no real need for separate meetings of the WMCC,” he said.

There is also a perception on the Indian side that the Chinese military is grappling with the difficulties of mobilising and deploying tens of thousands of troops along the LAC during the harsh winter – something that it hasn’t done in the past, a second official said.

In a joint statement issued after the November 6 talks, the two sides said they would ensure their frontline soldiers “exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation” along the LAC.

The statement also said both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, take forward the November 6 discussions and push for the settlement of “other outstanding issues.”

Until now, China had been insisting that India withdraw its soldiers from strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong Tso to reduce friction along the LAC, while the India side was firmly pushing for comprehensive disengagement at all flashpoints and restoration of status quo ante of early April during the military talks.

“With China agreeing to discuss all flashpoints, we hope future talks lead to some breakthrough. Earlier, they were only focussed on the southern bank of the lake,” said a third official.