The Indian and Chinese sides are engaged in marathon negotiations. While negotiators agree on the need to disengage their forces, the differences are too great and the situation too complex to make disengagement concrete. Senior commanders on both sides believe that it will take at least several more rounds of negotiations to reach a comprehensive consensus.
The Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday (Sept. 22) that Indian army commanders in Ladakh and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Xinjiang Command, as well as the head of the East Asia Department of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, held talks in Chushul-Moldo on Monday.
This is the first time the two sides have held bilateral military-diplomatic level talks within the Line of Actual Control (LAC) of China. The subject of the talks is the implementation of a key element of the peace agreement reached by the foreign ministers of the two sides in Moscow last month – the disengagement of their forces.
Monday’s talks lasted 14 hours, but did not complete discussions of all the controversies and differences that have characterized the border standoff between the two countries.
Indian sources described the talks as “complex” in nature, with each side holding its own position, but there is a consensus that a complete disengagement of Indian and Chinese forces is needed to ensure peace in the border region.
An unnamed senior Indian official was quoted in the Hindustan Times as saying, “We will need at least two more rounds of negotiations at the military and diplomatic level to reach an agreement.
The Print, an Indian online media outlet, reported Tuesday that the subject of the discussion between Indian and Chinese officials was the five-point consensus reached by the foreign ministers of India and China in Moscow on Sept. 10. A government source was quoted in the report as saying that progress in the negotiations was “quite positive, except for the lack of tangible results.
It would be foolish, the source said, to expect a breakthrough in the negotiations. Another source was quoted in the publication as saying, “The talks that have taken place have been positive. Both sides have reached a consensus on the need for disengagement. The fact that military and diplomatic officials from both sides have been able to sit down and negotiate is in itself a positive development.”
The source said the Indian Defense Ministry is conducting a high-level briefing, but he declined to provide more information.
During the latest round of talks, the source said, the Indian side saw the need for full disengagement in all troubled areas, while the Chinese side emphasized disengagement in specific areas.
Earlier reports said that the talks were conducted under new rules for disengagement, and that the original reference to “reciprocal disengagement” had been dropped.
According to the sources, New Delhi said that Beijing must first disengage before India can move.
The Indian side was joined by Lt. Gen. Harinder Singh, the commander of the 14th Indian Army, two major-general officers, four brigade commanders, several colonel officers, and a number of interpreters.
In addition, Navin Srivastava, Director General of the East Asia Department of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and Deepam Seth, Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and Lt. General Menon, Commander of the Indian Army’s Mountain Division on the India-Middle East border, also participated in the talks. Menon will replace Singh as commander of the 14th Army.
Since June of this year, India and China have held five talks to resolve the border standoff, including separate talks in Moscow in September between the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries.
At the September 10 meeting, the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers agreed on five points, focusing on the disengagement of military forces on both sides, maintaining the necessary distance, and continuing dialogue to prevent differences from escalating into disputes. The two foreign ministers did not set a timetable for the disengagement of the two militaries during their talks. There have been reports that India and China have deployed tens of thousands of troops in the conflict zone, supported by artillery, tanks, and fighter jets.
Observers say that the slightest error or miscalculation on either side could have wider disastrous consequences.
The border standoff between the two countries has already resulted in several clashes of arms. In June of this year, both sides clashed in cold-weapons violence, resulting in numerous casualties.
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