NEW DELHI: The overall situation at the sticking points in eastern Ladakh remains unchanged and continues to be tense, four days after the foreign ministers of India and China agreed on a five-point plan to resolve the protracted border standoff government sources said Monday.
The sources also said that both the Indian and Chinese troops remain firmly in their respective positions on the Royal Line of Control (LAC).
They said that while the situation in the region remains tense, no new Chinese troop movements were witnessed.
The Indian army will not lower its guard and will maintain the current state of very high level of combat readiness in eastern Ladakh until there are visible changes in the ground situation, the sources added.
Sources said the date for the long-awaited Corps commander-level talks between the two armies has yet to be confirmed, but is likely to take place in the coming days.
The military talks are expected to focus on the implementation of certain provisions of the five-point consensus to ease tensions.
India and China reached an agreement to resolve their border dispute at a meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow last Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The agreement included measures such as the rapid withdrawal of troops, avoiding actions that could increase tensions, compliance with all agreements and protocols on border management, and steps to restore peace throughout LAC.
He also mentioned that the two sides must accelerate work to conclude “new confidence-building measures” to improve peace and tranquility in the border areas. However, the agreement has not mentioned any timetable for the withdrawal of the troops.
Meanwhile, Chinese envoy Sun Weidong, referring to the consensus reached during previous talks between the leaders of the two countries, said the two sides should “seek win-win cooperation” rather than a “zero-sum game.”
“I hope and believe that as long as the two sides seriously implement the consensus reached by the two foreign ministers with the front-line troops and adhere to the correct means of dialogue and negotiation, the two sides will find a way to overcome the current difficulties. “Sun was quoted as saying by the Chinese embassy. He was commenting on the Jaishankar-Wang talks.
The envoy further said: “As long as the two parties continue to move the relationship in the right direction based on past achievements, there will be no difficulty or challenge that cannot be overcome.”
The five-point consensus in the Jaishankar-Wang talks came days after a new clash between the two armies early last week in eastern Ladakh that sparked a massive military build-up by both sides at almost all points of friction along LAC.
The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been locked in a tense clash in multiple areas throughout LAC in eastern Ladakh since early May. On Monday, for the first time in 45 years, shots were fired throughout LAC and the two sides accused each other of shooting into the air.
In the five rounds of talks at the Corps commander level, the Indian side has insisted on the immediate restoration of the status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh before April. The clash in eastern Ladakh broke out on May 6.
In the Jaishankar-Wang talks, the Indian delegation highlighted its strong concern about the accumulation of troops and military equipment by China throughout LAC, in addition to referring to the “provocative behavior” of Chinese army personnel in numerous friction incidents. .
The Indian side clearly conveyed that it expected full compliance with all agreements on the management of border areas and would not tolerate any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA).
Last week, the Army further strengthened its hold on a series of strategic heights overlooking key Chinese-controlled positions around the Pangong Lake area in eastern Ladakh.
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