PTI

New Delhi

Indian and Chinese armies will hold a Lt General-level dialogue on Saturday in their first major attempt to resolve the month-long bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh even as both militaries maintained their aggressive posturing in the sensitive areas in the high-altitude
region.

The Indian delegation will be led by Lt General Harinder Singh, the general officer commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, while the Chinese side will be headed by the Tibet Military District Commander at the talks in the Border Personnel Meeting Point at Maldo, official sources said.

The two sides have already held at least 12 rounds of talks between local commanders and three rounds of talks between major general-rank officials but no positive outcome came out from the discussions, they said.

In Saturday’s meeting, the Indian side is expected to press for restoration of the status quo ante in at least Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley to gradually deescalate the tension removal of temporary camps erected by China after a violent face off between the two sides on May 5.

The Indian delegation will also insist on implementation of the strategic guidelines issued by the two militaries in line with decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in their first informal summit in April 2018 in Wuhan.

It is learnt that two sides are also engaged in diplomatic talks to find a solution to the face-off which is turning out to be the most serious military standoff between the two armies after the Doklam episode of 2017. Modi and Xi held their informal summit in Wuhan months after the Doklam standoff.

After the standoff began in early last month, Indian military leadership decided that Indian troops will adopt a firm approach in dealing with the aggressive posturing by the Chinese troops in all disputed areas of Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie.