India, China’s top generals hold talks at Himalayan border amid efforts to defuse month-long stand-off
- The high-level talks to ease the tense situation along the Line of Actual Control come a day after Indian and Chinese diplomats discussed the boundary flare-up via videoconference
- Analysts say the meeting alone is unlikely to resolve the crisis but would help New Delhi to determine the reasons behind Chinese aggression
While countries were tight-lipped about the discussions in the four-hour meeting, Indian sources indicated that a statement might be issued late on Saturday night after high-level military and diplomatic deliberations.
Expectations were low in the Indian camp that the meeting would result in an immediate end to the stand-off, but Indian officials said New Delhi could gain a better understanding of the reasons behind Beijing’s aggressive posturing on the border.
Sources said that the Indian side stressed the need for troops from both sides to return to positions they had held before the stand-off began in early May.
India was represented by 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh with the meeting taking place in Moldo, on the Chinese side of the undemarcated boundary known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in what experts described as an unprecedented high-level military exchange.