India and China have agreed to push for an early disengagement of troops and resolved to continue “effective efforts” to stabilise and control the situation in eastern Ladakh at their ninth round of military talks on the border row, a joint press statement said on Monday.
The statement issued here by the defence ministry said the two sides agreed that the meeting was “positive, practical and constructive, which further enhanced mutual trust and understanding.”
“The two sides agreed to continue their effective efforts in ensuring the restraint of the frontline troops, stabilise and control the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the China-India border, and jointly maintain peace and tranquility,” it said after the 16-hour meeting at the Moldo border point on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
The statement said they agreed to hold the 10th round of Corps Commander meeting at an early date to jointly advance de-escalation.
The Corps Commander-level talks began at around 10:30 AM on Sunday and ended at 2:30 AM on Monday, military sources said.
“They also agreed to follow the important consensus of their state leaders, maintain the good momentum of dialogue and negotiation, and hold the 10th round of the Corps Commander level meeting at an early date to jointly advance de-escalation,” the statement said.
The sources said both sides held extensive deliberations on modalities for disengagement of troops from all the friction points in eastern Ladakh at the talks.
“Detailed discussions were held on modalities for the disengagement process,” said a source aware of the negotiations.
The sources said India insisted that it was up to China to carry forward the process of disengagement and de-escalation at friction points in the region where the two militaries have been engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball face-off for nearly nine months.
Hours after the talks concluded, it came to light that Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a clash in the high-altitude Naku La region in North Sikkim on January 20, an incident described by the Indian Army on Monday as a “minor face-off”.
In a statement, the Indian Army said the face-off was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols.
The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Lt Gen PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps while the Chinese side was headed by Maj Gen Liu Lin, the commander of the South Xinjiang military district of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).