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India, China stand-off to continue through winter after no breakthrough at talks

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The stand-off between India and China in eastern Ladakh, which has entered its seventh month, is set to continue through winter with the latest round of Corps Commander level talks Friday ending without a breakthrough, ThePrint has learnt.

Sources in the defence and security establishment said India put forward its point — it will not agree to any one-sided disengagement proposal — very clearly in the 10-hour meet.

The talks began at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in eastern Ladakh at 9.30 am and ended at about 7 pm. This was the first round of talks led by the new 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen P.G.K. Menon. The latest talks took place nearly a month after the previous round.

All eyes are now on the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping will come face to face, albeit virtually.

It is believed that while Corps Commanders will continue to meet, a final solution will only come after both Modi and Xi reach an understanding.
Modi and Xi will also be meeting virtually between 13 and 15 November at the ASEAN Summit. They are also expected to come face-to-face at two other summits — BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit, chaired by Russia, on 17 November, and G-20, chaired by Saudi Arabia, on 21-22 November.

Logistics issue
On Friday, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat presented a clear line on India’s stand as he said that status quo will have to be restored and India won’t accept any shifting of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Sources said both sides have focused on building infrastructure to house the soldiers who have been moved to the frontlines for the first time in years.

Logistics is a huge issue as India and China have dropped over 50,000 additional troops into the area besides associated equipment. Many of the soldiers are posted at forward locations in eastern Ladakh, where temperatures drop to -30 degree Celsius.

ThePrint was the first to report in June that the stand-off could easily continue until winter.
The Army has started drawing up a summer strategy for Ladakh, and is looking at greater permanent deployment of troops in the area with no immediate resolution in sight.

This could possibly translate into either another official Division, besides the already deployed 3 Div, to man the area, or additional Battalions under the current set up.

China has proposed a slew of measures to ease tensions along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, which includes withdrawing tanks and artillery guns from the forward areas back to their peacetime locations, Indian troops vacating strategic heights in the southern banks of Pangong Tso and making Finger 4 in the northern banks a no-go area.

However, India has rejected all suggestions since the proposals are meant to give Chinese a tactical advantage over Indian forces.

 
No signs of de-escalation in Ladakh as India-China border tensions continue

There are no signs of easing of tensions between India and China in Ladakh even after the eighth round of top military level talks held on November 6, and the enhanced troop deployment from both sides on the frontline is expected to continue during the harsh winter.

Temperatures have already dropped to minus 20 at some of the hilltops amid the standoff in Ladakh, which has been continuing for more than six months.

In another joint statement it was said that the two sides had a candid, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.

"Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, ensure their frontline troops to exercise restraint and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation," it said.

With no de-escalation in sight, the focus of the talks to ensure the lines of communication remains open and there is no further escalation or violence.

"Both sides agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, taking forward the discussions at this meeting, and pushing for the settlement of other outstanding issues, so as to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas," it said.

India's stand is that there should be a complete de-escalation and not in a few selected places as suggested by China earlier, sources said.

This is what is resulting in a deadlock as there is little consensus on complete pull back. "We want complete de-escalation. Reduction of troops from some areas and de-induction of weapons is not a viable option and is not what we have proposed," said an official.


India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had said on the day the corps commander-level meet took place in LAC that "it is not acceptable to India and that the situation can spiral into a larger conflict".

The standoff in Ladakh started early May and the deadlock has continued for six months now. Things escalated when in a violent clash 20 Indian Army personnel were killed, and China also lost its soldiers. However, the casualties on the Chinese side have not been made public yet. In early September, there were reports of gunshots fired in the air one more than one instance. Since then things remain tense but there has been no violence reported.

It was also agreed to have another round of meetings soon.

 
China should escalate by sending more troops and equipment. Make India do the same and then laugh at the Indian popsicles come jan-feb.
 
The next enemy of China and India will be the cold.
 

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