Second round of India-China talks in a “positive atmosphere”: Report

PTI, Jun 10, 2020, 9:23 PM IST

New Delhi: Indian and Chinese armies on Wednesday held Major General-level talks with an aim to end the military standoff in Pangong Tso and a number of other areas in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said.

In the over four-and-half-hour meeting, the Indian delegation pressed for restoration of status quo ante and immediate withdrawal of a sizeable number of Chinese troops from all the standoff points, they said.

The Major General-level dialogue took place in a “positive atmosphere” with an aim to further ease the tension between the two sides, they said.

The talks came a day after the two armies began a limited disengagement in a few areas in Galwan Valley and Hot Spring in a demonstration of their intent to end the row peacefully.

However, both sides remained engaged in aggressive posturing in areas such as Pangong Tso, Daulat Beg Oldie and Demchok.

Military sources on Tuesday said the two armies began “disengagement” around patrolling points 14 and 15 in Galwan Valley and another in the Hot Spring area, adding the Chinese side has even moved back up to 1.5 km in the two areas.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged since May 5 following a violent clash in Pangong Tso.

In their first serious efforts to end the row, Lt General Harinder Singh, the general officer commanding of Leh-based 14 Corps, and Commander of the Tibet Military District Major General Liu Lin held an extensive meeting on June 6.

China said on Wednesday that Indian and Chinese troops have started implementing the “positive consensus” reached by the senior military officials of the two countries on June 6 aimed at “easing” the situation along the borders.

Asked about the reports of the troops on both sides disengaging and moving back to their previous positions, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing that both sides are taking steps to ease the situation along the borders.

“Recently the diplomatic and military channels of China and India held effective communication on the situation along the border and reached a positive consensus,” she said.

“The two sides are following this consensus to take actions to ease the situation along the borders,” the spokesperson said.

Saturday’s talks came a day after the two countries held diplomatic talks during which both sides agreed to handle their “differences” through peaceful discussions while respecting each other’s sensitivities and concerns.

In a statement, India’s external affairs ministry had on Sunday said that the meeting took place in a “cordial and positive atmosphere” and that both sides agreed that an “early resolution” of the issue would contribute to the further development of the relationship between the two countries.