Ladakh: India and China on Monday agreed not to further escalate the border situation by not sending more troops to forward areas, but a tangible breakthrough on de-escalation eluded the marathon military commander-level talks held on Monday.
The test of the joint statement issued on Tuesday will lie in actual Chinese actions in disengaging and de-escalating along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, in accordance with the “consensus” reached between foreign minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10.
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As per the joint statement on Tuesday, the two armies will also refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and taking any actions that may complicate the situation. They will also strengthen communication between the local commanders to avoid “misunderstandings and misjudgments”.
The statement seems to signal that the current standstill may continue, with senior government sources hinting that “apex leadership” level discussions may be needed to break the logjam.
The two sides agreed to hold the 7th round of military commander-level meeting as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area.
