India, China Hold 18th Round Of Corps Commander Talks To Resolve Border Issues

India and China are holding the 18th round of Corps Commander Level talk at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the Eastern Ladakh sector, in an effort to end the three-year military standoff.

File photo of Lt Gen Rashim Bali, Commander of the Fire and Fury Corps ( Image Source :ANI )

India and China are holding the 18th round of Corps Commander Level talk on Sunday (April 23) at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the Eastern Ladakh sector, in an attempt to resolve the three-year-old military standoff. The meeting, led by Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali and an equivalent rank officer from the Chinese side, is taking place today in the eastern Ladakh sector, news agency ANI reported citing defence sources.

This meeting comes after a five-month hiatus. The last meeting between the two sides at the Corps Commander level was conducted in December of last year. The meeting takes place at a time when both sides are engaged in rapid construction activities along their respective border areas in order to strengthen their respective positions.

Both sides have repeatedly raised the issue of the Depsang plains, Demchok, and disengagement. 

After the Chinese side tried to change the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by aggressively moving forward with heavy weaponry and a large number of troops in 2020 during the initial period of the Covid pandemic, corps commander-level talks began to resolve the issues between the two sides in the eastern Ladakh area.

To avoid confrontations, both sides have disengaged and moved to new positions. During the talks, the two sides agreed to maintain close contact and dialogue through military and diplomatic channels in order to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues as soon as possible.

The Chinese defence minister will also be in India next week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in the national capital. The chances of the two sides de-escalating in the near future do not appear promising, and the Indian side is continuing to deploy heavily in the area to guard against any Chinese attempts to change the status quo, as they continue to do.

One such attempt was foiled in December last year in Yangtse when a Chinese contingent was pushed back to its area after attempting to approach Indian positions on the LAC there.