China-India border dispute: rare 2-day talks fail to resolve deadlock ahead of Xi-Modi Brics meeting

A joint statement after the 19th round of corps commander-level talks says dialogue was ‘positive, constructive and in-depth’
Analysts expect coming Brics and G20 summits to be significant to relations between the two countries

China-India relations

Khushboo Razdanin New York

Published: 3:09pm, 16 Aug 2023

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Two days of talks between China and India failed to yield any breakthrough on their border deadlock although both sides have once again agreed to keep talking.

The border meeting, which marked the 19th round of corps commander-level talks, was held on Monday and Tuesday, days before Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet at next week’s Brics summit in South Africa.

It is the first time a commander-level meeting between the two countries to discuss the border dispute has been held over two days.

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A joint release on Tuesday described the discussion as “positive, constructive and in-depth”, a view underscored by the two sides issuing one statement together – and not separate releases as they did after talks in April.

“In line with guidance from the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward-looking manner,” the statement said, adding that India and China had “agreed to maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels”.

In the interim, the two sides “agreed to maintain the peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas”, it said.

Citing defence and security sources, Indian media reported that both sides had also promised to freeze troop numbers and equipment build-up in the eastern Ladakh region along the 3,000km (1,860-mile) Line of Actual Control (LAC) – the contested Himalayan border between the two countries.

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Despite disengagement efforts, India and China have continued to deploy a significant number of troops and advanced weaponry since a 2020 clash in the Galwan Valley along the LAC claimed at least 20 Indian and four Chinese lives. It was the deadliest border encounter between the two countries in decades.

Reports suggest that India wants to restore the pre-Galwan status quo in strategic areas of tension, and has been building new border infrastructure since the clash.

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Former Indian ambassador Rajiv Dogra said he viewed the China-India relationship as “glass half-full” but foresaw an “uneasy period ahead”.

“A lot would depend on what happens in the two meetings at Brics and G20”, he added, referring to Xi’s planned visit to New Delhi for the Group of 20 summit on September 9-10.

Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research, recently said: “At a time when tens of thousands of troops on each side are facing off on the Himalayan massif, it would be odd if Xi visited Delhi without seeking to defuse the border confrontation.”