Chinese and Indian commanders hold more talks on border tensions but do not appear to make progress
- Meetings are 12th in series that began in May 2020, when frictions first broke out at multiple locations in border region
- At least 20 Indian and 4 Chinese soldiers were killed in a June 2020 skirmish, the first deadly border clash in 45 years
The frontline military commanders from both sides met at the border village of Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on July 30 – the 12th round of commander-level talks – and held nine hours of talks, one of the shortest negotiations in the series.
The meeting was a “candid and in-depth exchange of views” and “further enhanced mutual understanding”, according to a Chinese defence ministry statement on Monday.
“They agreed to resolve these remaining issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations,” the statement said.
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It had been once hoped that in this round the two sides could make progress in the remaining deadlocks – disengagement from the biggest hotspots, including Gogra Heights and Hot Springs between China-controlled Aksai Chin and India-controlled East Ladakh.
But the statement did not announce the reaching of any substantial agreement.