China-India border dispute: New Delhi ‘expects Beijing to stand down first’ as top military chiefs meet

The Corps Commanders from both sides have met at Moldo, on the Chinese side of the disputed Line of Actual Control

Insiders say India is likely to maintain its position that China initiated the stand-off and therefore must take the first steps towards disengagement

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An Indian fighter plane flies over a mountain range in Leh, in the Ladakh region, on September 15. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:01pm, 21 Sep 2020Updated: 12:20am, 22 Sep 2020

The top commanders of the Chinese and Indian armies met on Monday at Moldo, on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in a fresh bid to ease their months-long stand-off – with New Delhi expected to maintain its stance that Beijing initiated the stand-off and therefore must take the first steps towards disengagement.

The meeting, which began in the morning and was still ongoing 12 hours later at 9pm local time, came more than a week after talks between the countries’ foreign ministers in Moscow, where they reached a five-point consensus to “quickly disengage [troops] and ease tensions” along the 3,488km (2,167 mile) LAC, the disputed border that separates the two countries. Experts said Monday’s talks carried immense significance for the fate of the border stand-off that has seen New Delhi and Beijing at loggerheads for the past five months.

There is also a ticking clock: by the end of the month, winter is coming to the high-altitude Himalayan mountain region of Ladakh, with temperatures set to plummet as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius in areas where soldiers have repeatedly faced off. A failure to resolve the stand-off by then will mean a need for both sides to post thousands of troops at forward positions in increasingly harsh weather.

The Indian delegation for Monday’s meeting was headed by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh of the 14 Corps, which is based in Leh, the largest town in Ladakh. It also included a diplomat from the Ministry of External Affairs, joint secretary Naveen Srivastava, making it the first simultaneous military-diplomatic meeting between the two sides.

This was the first time the Indian and Chinese Corps Commanders have met since their 10-hour deliberation at Moldo on August 2. Since then, troops have clashed at least twice and have even accused each other of firing warning shots in the air, breaking a long-standing agreement to not use firearms within 2km of the LAC. Soldiers last month clashed in Chushul, close to the site of Monday’s meeting.

Soldiers run to load an Indian Air Force helicopter with supplies at a forward airbase in Leh. Photo: Reuters

According to Sameer Patil, an international security studies fellow at Mumbai-based think tank Gateway House, India is looking to send a signal to China by way of the military-diplomatic engagement.