India and China will hold corps commander-level talks on Oct. 12, the seventh round, in eastern Ladakh in their latest attempt to address the ongoing military standoff between the two countries, officials familiar with the events said on Sunday. .
Both sides had held the latest round of talks on the border standoff on September 21, which remained inconclusive as Indian negotiators strongly demanded a complete disengagement at all hot spots and restoration of the status quo ante as the only approach. towards de-escalation. Bejing had asked New Delhi to withdraw its soldiers from strategic locations on the southern bank of Pangong Tso to reduce friction.
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A joint statement, released in New Delhi and Beijing on September 22, said the two sides agreed to stop sending more troops to the front line and hold the seventh round of commander-level talks “as soon as possible, take practical steps to solve problems on the ground and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area ”.
Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and Lieutenant General PGK Menon, who represented Army Headquarters, participated in the sixth round of talks. Menon will replace Singh as commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps soon, as the latter will complete his term next month. Singh has led the military talks with China to reduce border tensions. He took over the body in October 2019.
The sixth round of military dialogue in Moldo on the Chinese side of LAC in the Chushul sector also featured, for the first time, the participation of an official with the rank of deputy secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a step to ensure that the conversations give a positive result. The Consultation and Coordination Working Mechanism (CMMC) on border issues, the diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, involves a representative from the Indian Ministry of Defense.
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