India, China to look for border solution through dialogues

India and China have a better understanding of each other’s concerns in the eastern Ladkah theatre and will continue to hold dialogues to work out a solution that is acceptable to both sides, they said in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, a day after another round of talks between military commanders that took place in Chushul. 

“The two sides had a sincere, in-depth and constructive exchange of views on disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in the western Sector of India-China border areas. They were of the view that these discussions were positive, constructive and had enhanced understanding of each other’s positions,” the statement said. 

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Talks have been going on between the two sides at diplomatic and military levels for a while now on disengaging from the border areas. However, there has been little progress in deescalating the tension that began in May in the wake of skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops. Tensions reached a flashpoint when 20 Indian soldiers and many Chinese troops died following a clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15. Now, both sides have amassed over 50,000 soldiers near the border areas along the Line of Actual Control. 

According to the joint statement, both India and China have “agreed to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels” to resolve the tension on the border.

“Both sides agreed to earnestly implement the important understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, not to turn differences into disputes, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas,” the statement said.

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The seventh round of the military commander-level talks on Monday was the last to be led by Lieutenant General Harinder Singh, whose one-year tenure as commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps has come to an end. He will now be the commandant of the Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy. Lieutenant General P G K Menon will be the new commander of 14 Corps.