Foreign Minister S Jaishankar with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at M …read more
NEW DELHI: India and China held discussions to seek a solution to the protracted military crisis throughout LAC in eastern Ladakh, with the Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, meeting in Moscow for more than two hours on Thursday.
Around midnight India time, there was no official word on the outcome of the meeting, which involved intense discussions on the crisis, the future of bilateral border management agreements and the state of the bilateral relationship itself.
India has repeatedly made clear that peace at the borders is now a requirement for healthy bilateral relations.
The first in-person meeting between the Foreign ministers from India and China was widely observed around the world. It started after a lunch by the trilateral RIC (Russia-India-China) grouping. Organized by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, it was meant to break the ice before the bilateral talks began.
China maintained tough rhetoric
Last week, fears of an escalation of the conflict between the two sides increased even as Indian forces defended their newly acquired positions on the heights of the southern shore of Pangong Tso as Chinese forces stepped up investigative advances. Army sources said Indian forces strengthened defenses and positions in areas such as Gurung Hill, Magar Hill, Rezang The and Richen La. This and other similar initiatives to reject the Indian army, they have reversed India’s tactical disadvantage in the Pangong area.
The signal to China has been clear that it would have to risk conflict by trying to dislodge Indian troops or consider the need for a determined dialogue to resolve the issues. China has been loud and angry, and according to sources, PLA troops have been incessantly challenging Indian positions while simultaneously moving tanks in the Chushul region and conducting live fire drills.
These facts indicate how difficult it would be to reach a political understanding. If a breakthrough did indeed occur here, it might still take a while for it to reflect off the ground. Jaishankar has reiterated that any resolution should be political and achieved through diplomacy. “I would say that I am totally convinced that a solution to the situation has to be found in the field of diplomacy. And I say it with responsibility, ”he said earlier this week.
China has maintained a steady stream of tough rhetoric. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met Rajnath singh in Moscow last week, he was quoted as saying: “The root and truth of the current tensions is very clear. The Indian side is fully responsible. Not an inch of China’s territory will be lost. The Chinese military is absolutely determined, capable and confident in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. ”Singh, in turn, told the Chinese leader that India will not cede territory and will seek the restoration of the status quo in LAC.
Jaishankar met with Lavrov on the night of September 9 for a bilateral discussion. Russia has been working behind the scenes to try to spark some discussion between India and China.
The MEA spokesperson said: “This was the first physical meeting after the Covid situation and there was an excellent discussion on bilateral issues, regional developments and international issues of interest. The two ministers also followed up on the results of the prime minister’s visit to Vladivostok for the fifth EEF in September 2019. ”
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