0 Comment(s) *
* The moderation of comments is automated and not cleared manually by indianexpress.com.
Ahead of the talks, official sources said there were some expectations of progress on completing the disengagement process at Patrolling Point-15 in the Hot Springs area. (Representational)India and China agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector, as the 16th round of India-China Corps Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on Sunday.
A day after the meeting, a joint statement on Monday said: “Building on the progress made at the last meeting on March 11, 2022, the two sides continued discussions for the resolution of the relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector in a constructive and forward looking manner.”
“They had a frank and in-depth exchange of views in this regard, in keeping with the guidance provided by the State Leaders to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. The two sides reaffirmed that the resolution of remaining issues would help in restoration of peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and enable progress in bilateral relations,” it said.
“The two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector,” it said, adding that the two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.
Subscriber Only Stories
On July 7, in Bali for the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign minister and State Councillor Wang Yi amid the ongoing standoff between troops along the India-China border, and called for an early resolution to the more than two-year-long standoff.
While Jaishankar underlined that India-China relationship is “best served by observing the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said, in a statement: “The External Affairs Minister called for an early resolution of all the outstanding issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.”
Jaishankar had said that they focused on “specific outstanding issues” in the bilateral relationship pertaining to the “border situation”. He said they also discussed matters, including students and flights, and “shared perspectives” on the international situation.
Jaishankar and Wang last met in Delhi during the Chinese Foreign minister’s visit to New Delhi in March this year.
On July 7, the MEA statement had said: “The External Affairs minister called for an early resolution of all the outstanding issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. Recalling the disengagement achieved in some friction areas, the External affairs minister reiterated the need to sustain the momentum to complete disengagement from all the remaining areas to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.”
“He reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols, and the understandings reached between the two Ministers during their previous conversations. In this regard, both Ministers affirmed that the military and diplomatic officials of the two sides should continue maintaining regular contact and looked forward to the next round of Senior Commanders’ meeting at an early date…,” the MEA statement had said.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
