India-China military delegates to meet again to settle border disputes

Amid escalating tension over the India-China border issue, after the violent faceoff at Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh which left 20 Indian soldiers dead, top military delegations of both the nations will be meeting for the third time in the coming days.

New Delhi: Amid tension at the borders, top Indian and Chinese military delegations will meet for the third time in the next two days in Chushul in Leh district, sources said.

"This time the talks will be held in Chushul on the Indian side. The last two meetings were held in Moldo on the Chinese side," said sources, adding that the agenda of the meeting would be to take forward the proposals made by both the countries for disengagement.

"All contentious areas during the current standoff will be discussed to stabilise the situation," sources added.

The last two meetings at the Corp Commander level were held on June 6 and June 22. On June 22, talks took place between Indian and Chinese military delegates for around 11 hours. The dialogue was held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere and there was "mutual consensus to disengage".

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"Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in eastern Ladakh were discussed," the Indian Army had stated.

The meeting between 14 Corps Commander Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief Major General Liu Lin happened on the lines of the one they held at the Chushul-Moldo border personnel meeting (BPM) point in eastern Ladakh on June 6.

Also, Major General-level dialogue took place for three consecutive days after the violent clash at Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley on June 15 left 20 Indian soldiers dead. The three-day talks were carried out to ease the tense situation and to get 10 Indian soldiers released, including four officers, who were in Chinese captivity.

Major General Abhijit Bapat, who is the Commander of the 3 Division of the Indian Army, had raised several points with the Chinese about the incident on the intervening night of June 15/16.

The clash occurred at the South bank of Galwan river, which flows in an east-west direction before it's confluence with Shayok river, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army troops.

Those were the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the People's Liberation Army since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

Sources said that Indian Army troopers were outnumbered by 1:5 ratio when they came under attack from the PLA soldiers at Patrolling Point 14 along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

"The numbers were stacked up against the Indian Army troopers. Yet, the Indian side decided to fight the PLA troopers. The Indian soldiers were outnumbered 1:5 by the Chinese troopers," sources said.

China is also said to have used thermal imaging drones to trace the Indian Army soldiers scattered on the treacherous terrain before brutally attacking them.

IANS report

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