New Delhi: India and China are holding diplomatic talks through video conference on Wednesday to explore ways to ease tension along the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh region.
According to officials, the talks are scheduled to be held between Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs Naveen Srivastava and Director General in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wu Jianghao.
The two sides held their first diplomatic talks in June.
India and China are holding military-level talks to defuse the border tensions after the violent face-off in Ladakh's Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives. Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured.
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In order to defuse border rows due to lack of clear demarcation of the LAC, the local commanders of the two armies regularly meet at five points along the border. On the Indian side, the five points, besides Chushul—are Daulat Beg Oldie (Ladakh), Nathu-La (Sikkim), Bum-La (Arunachal Pradesh), and Kibithu (Arunachal Pradesh).
At the moment, the world’s two biggest armies face each other at quite a few standoff points including Pangong Lake, Galwan Valley, and Hot Springs.
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But in the 16 tumultuous days between June 6 and June 22, the two militaries had managed to avert a major crisis after at least 20 Indian soldiers including the commanding officer at Galwan Valley lost their lives in a very violent attack by PLA soldiers on June 15 night. While Indian casualties are known, the Chinese authorities have been tight-lipped about the PLA toll till now.
(With inputs from agencies)
