New Delhi: The 19th round of India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting that was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13-14 concluded with differences remaining unresolved.
A joint statement was issued on August 15. The two sides would keep discussing the resolution at the military commander level of pending issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, the statement said.
“The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western Sector (Eastern Ladakh),” said the statement posted by the Ministry of External Affairs on its website. They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels, the statement said. This would be in line with the guidance provided by the leadership.
Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi are expected to meet at the BRICS summit (August 22-24) in South Africa followed by the G20 summit in India (September 9-10). According to sources, differences remain unresolved over pulling back of troops from the Depsang plains areas and Charding Nullah near Demchok. Talks are deadlocked over the pending resolution of disputes at Depsang, a 972-sq-km plateau where the two sides have issue over troop positions, especially at ‘bottleneck’ on the eastern edge of Depsang.
India has been objecting to People Liberation Army (PLA) deliberately blocking Indian patrols on this specific patrolling route in Depsang. Prior to April 2020, Indian patrols used the route, however, the PLA has been craftily using a clause in a 30-year-old border agreement to block them.
