India and China sit for 16th round of peace talks, but reach no major breakthrough

The Indian and Chinese armies have agreed to work out a mutually acceptable resolution for the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh but there was no major breakthrough in border issues between the two sides.

The decision was taken during the 16th round of India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting that was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on July 17th.

The statement was issued on Monday night, a day after the two sides held the talks that lasted for around 12.5 hours.

The positives from the meeting: A joint statement issued by the two sides said it was reaffirmed that the resolution of pending issues would help in the restoration of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the region and enable progress in bilateral relations.

"The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest," the statement said, reported PTI.

No concrete breakthrough: Despite few positives like restoration of peace, there was no concrete breakthrough in the border-related issues between the two sides. TOI, quoting a source, reported that China did not agree to the Indian proposal to even complete the stalled troop disengagement at Patrolling Point-15 (PP-15) near the Kugrang Nallah in the Chang Chenmo sector.

The meeting: The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Lt-General Anindya Sengupta, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, while the Chinese team was headed by South Xinjiang Military District Chief Major General Yang Lin.

India-China border standoff: The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC).

• The troops of India and China were engaged in a 73-day stand-off in Doklam tri-junction in 2017, which triggered fears of a war between the two neighbours.
• In 2020, India and China troops clashed in the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh. India lost 20 soldiers, and there were casualties on the other side too. It was India's first violent clash since 1962.
• Since then, both sides have increased deployment near the LAC and there have been several rounds of talk.