India, China hold military commander-level meeting aimed at LAC disengagement
The talks between the militaries of India and China follow the meeting between the foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries at Dushanbe last month.
India and China held the 12th round of corps commander-level on Monday at the Chushul-Moldo border in Ladakh.
The talks between the senior military commanders of the two neighbouring countries come close on the heels of the meeting between the foreign ministers of India and China at Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe last month.
During the meeting, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting on July 14, India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar made it clear to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the normalised bilateral ties with Beijing is possible after disengagement of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops from Indian territories in eastern Ladakh.
Jaishankar urged China to complete the disengagement process and resolve all outstanding border issues along the 1,597km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Monday's meeting between the commanders of India and China saw an in-depth exchange of views on the resolution of remaining areas related to disengagement along the LAC in the western sector of the border areas.
"The two sides noted that this round of meeting was constructive, which further enhanced mutual understanding. They agreed to resolve these remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations," according to a joint statement released by the two countries after the meeting.
The last commander-level meeting India and China took place on April 9, where the two sides highlighted that the completion of disengagement in other areas along the LAC would pave the way for the two sides to consider de-escalation of forces and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquillity and enable progress in bilateral relations.
The meeting also focussed on outstanding problems between the Indian Army and the PLA at Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang areas along the LAC.
