NEW DELHI: Days ahead of Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu’s planned visit to India, the militaries of the two countries have held a fresh round of high-level talks to resolve issues at the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh as the border row spills over to the fourth year.
The 18th round of military talks between India and China took place at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the dialogue said, according to newspaper reports on April 24.
It was not immediately known whether there was any forward movement at the talks in the resolution of pending issues. It is learnt that the Indian side insisted on resolving the issues at the remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang in eastern Ladakh as soon as possible.
The talks took place ahead of Chinese Defence Minister Li’s visit to New Delhi to attend a defence ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on April 27 and 28. India is hosting the meeting under its presidency of the grouping. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the SCO conclave.
The 17th round of military talks was held on December 20. Following the dialogue, the two sides, in a joint statement, said they exchanged views in an “open and constructive” manner to resolve the “relevant issues” and that it was agreed to maintain “security and stability” on the ground in the region.
