Ladakh Standoff: India, China Diplomats Discuss Border Issues, 16th Round Of Military Talks Soon

The last meeting that took place under the framework of the WMCC was in November while the 15th round of military dialogue was held on March 11.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: Next round of the Senior Commanders' meeting was agreed by India and China on Tuesday to take place at an early date in order to achieve complete disengagement from all friction points in eastern Ladakh to create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral ties, reported news agency PTI. 

The decision was the only one that had been taken at a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on the India-China Border Affairs as there was no concrete forward movement to resolve the over two-year-old standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas and agreed to hold the next round of the Senior Commanders' meeting "at an early date", said the Ministry of External Affairs, quoted by the news agency. 

The last meeting that took place under the framework of the WMCC was in November while the 15th round of military dialogue was held on March 11.

"The two sides exchanged views on the current situation along the LAC in the Western Sector in Eastern Ladakh," the MEA said.

The meeting on this long term issue held on Tuesday was the first one after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India on March 24 and 25.

"They agreed that as instructed by the two foreign ministers, both sides should continue the discussions through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC at the earliest so as to create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations," it said.

"In this context, they agreed to hold the next (16th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols," the MEA added.

The Chinese side, in a press release issued, described the meeting as a "candid and in-depth exchange of views" on the current situation and that it was agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders and foreign ministers of the two countries to further ease the tension and jointly maintain peace and stability in the border areas.