Only an agreement on the next new round of military negotiations brings the India-China meeting to a close in 2021
Only an agreement on the next round of military negotiations brings the India-China meeting to a close
The most recent round of talks between top military commanders, which took place on October 10 at the Chushul-Moldo border crossing, had no meaningful achievements, with Beijing accusing New Delhi of making “irrational and outrageous demands.”
During the most recent round of diplomatic talks on the border standoff in the Ladakh area on Wednesday, neither India nor China was able to make much meaningful headway, other than an agreement to schedule the next round of talks with top military commanders as soon as possible.
The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs convened a virtual meeting on border affairs due to mounting evidence that China is building infrastructure and villages along disputed sections of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as well as a lack of progress on disengagement at friction points such as Hot Springs and Depsang.
“The parties agreed that the next Senior Commanders Meeting (the 14th) should take place as soon as feasible in order to achieve the goal of totally removing all points of contention along the LAC in the South China Sea. Following the WMCC meeting, the State Department issued a statement saying, “The western region in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and norms.”
According to a statement from China’s foreign ministry, the two countries agreed to keep in touch through diplomatic and military channels, as well as “actively prepare for the 14th round of military commander-level discussions” in the western sector and “take measures to settle the lingering concerns.”
Both parties involved described the discussions during the WMCC meeting as “frank and in-depth.”
The most recent round of talks between top military commanders, which took place on October 10 at the Chushul-Moldo border crossing, had no meaningful achievements, with Beijing accusing New Delhi of making “irrational and outrageous demands.”
Furthermore, both sides would “continue to cooperate diligently to further relieve the border situation and try to move from emergency response to normalized management as soon as possible,” according to the Chinese readout. Following their September meeting in Dushanbe, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar that the country was transitioning from “emergency reaction” to “normalization control.” The message was repeated during the shift from “emergency response” to “normalized control.”
The two parties remembered the agreement signed between Jaishankar and Wang at their meeting in Dushanbe, according to the Indian statement, which stated that military and diplomatic authorities should continue discussions to settle unresolved problems along the Laos-China border.
They “agreed on the need of finding a speedy resolution to the outstanding challenges” at their October 10 meeting, which also looked at events since the previous meeting of military chiefs. according to an Indian official statement, in eastern Ladakh, while completely observing bilateral agreements and protocols aimed at restoring peace and calm.
The two sides also agreed, according to the Indian statement, to continue to “keep a calm ground situation” and avoid any untoward incidents.
According to Chinese official media, the two sides agreed to solidify the existing disengagement results, strictly stick to agreements and consensus made during the discussions, and prevent repeating the current circumstance.
Naveen Srivastava, assistant secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, headed the Indian delegation to the WMCC conference, while Hong Liang, director of the foreign ministry’s boundary and oceanic department, led the Chinese delegation.
India and China withdrew frontline personnel from the north and south banks of Pangong Lake in February and from Gogra in August after multiple rounds of diplomatic and military consultations, but there has been no further progress on disengagement and de-escalation since then. The two sides’ bilateral ties have deteriorated to levels not seen in decades as a result of a military standoff that has lasted more than 18 months.
Normalization of ties will be feasible only after withdrawal from other flashpoints, such as Hot Springs and Depsang, according to the Indian side. China, on the other hand, has urged for decoupling the standoff from the overall bilateral relationship, as well as enhanced trade and investment links.
According to Sameer Patil, a fellow for international security studies at Gateway House, the outcome of the WMCC conference revealed that both sides were sticking to their stated positions and that this was not leading to a settlement.
This would indicate, based on earlier discoveries about China’s actions in other parts of the border, that the government will not change its current stance. “Clearly, neither party requires a negotiated settlement. “It’s more likely that this impasse will go a while longer,” Patil said.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
