New Delhi: The armies of India and China said in a joint statement Tuesday that Monday’s military talks at the corps commander level between India and China were “positive and constructive”, with both sides agreeing to seriously implement their leaders’ understanding not to turn differences into disputes and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in border areas.
He said the two agreed to maintain dialogue and communications through military and diplomatic channels and to reach a mutually acceptable solution for the disengagement as soon as possible.
“The two sides had a sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on the disengagement along the Royal Line of Control in the western sector of the India-China border areas. They felt that these discussions were positive, constructive and improved understanding of each other’s positions, ”said the joint press release issued Tuesday. “Both parties agreed to seriously implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he added.
The military standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh has now entered its sixth month, where weapons were used and fired upon for the first time in 45 years.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has opposed Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s “virtual” inauguration of 44 major permanent bridges in border areas on Monday, including 10 strategic bridges in Jammu and Kashmir and eight in Ladakh. China’s Foreign Ministry said that “neither side should take any action in the area to complicate the situation and China opposes any construction of infrastructure for military monitoring and control.”
At the corps commanders meeting in Chushul, on the Indian side of the Royal Line of Control, India again insisted that China withdraw its troops from all sticking points in eastern Ladakh and restore the status quo before April 2020 in Pangong Tso and Gogra. Post-Hot Springs. The Chinese military has also been preventing Indian patrols in the Depsang sector. India has made it clear that since China was the first to transgress, the PLA will have to make the first withdrawal move.
Both sides appear poised to keep their armies in these high-altitude mountains during winter, when temperatures drop below freezing and icy winds make survival extremely difficult.
This was the last meeting under the command of the commander of the 14th Corps, Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, who will take over as commander of the Indian Military Academy later this month.
At the last corps commanders meeting, both sides agreed to stop sending more troops to the front, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground, and avoid taking any action that might complicate the situation.
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