Six months after the withdrawal of both the troops from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hotsprings area, India and China have agreed to convene senior commanders’ meeting at the earliest, to discuss proposals for disengagement from the remaining areas of Demchok and Depsang plains along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh.
The move to resolve remaining friction points in the western sector and restore normalcy in bilateral relations came up at the 26th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Co-ordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held at Beijing on Wednesday, said the Ministry of External Affairs.
“The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner, which would help in restoration of peace and tranquilty along the LAC in western sector and create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” read a statement issued by the MEA.
The WMCC agreed to hold the 18th round of senior commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of disengagement in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, the MEA observed
The MEA’s Joint Secretary (East Asia) led the Indian delegation at the Wednesday’s WMCC meeting while the Chinese side was spearheaded by Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Affairs Department of their Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was the first physical interaction since the 14th meeting held in July 2019. According to the MEA, the two sides agreed to continue discussion through military and diplomatic channels.
Last September, troops from both the sides returned to their respective areas after complete disengagement at PP15 was carried out in a phased and verified manner after May 2020 Galwan face off with Chinese military personnel.
Even though talks are on, for restoring peace on the Western sector, insecurity remains along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh following the December 9 skirmish in the Yangste area near Tawang, that resulted in minor injuries to troops from both the armies.