NEW DELHI (INDIA) – In a bid to ease tensions and seek ways to pull back troops from either side of the disputed border, Indian and Chinese diplomats are slated to hold discussions on Friday.
This comes in the wake of a bloody stand-off between troops on both sides on June 15 in the Galwan Valley of India’s Ladakh region in the Himalayas. Indian soldiers were beaten with rocks and clubs, leaving 20 dead, including an officer.
Since then India and China have held several rounds of talks to restore peace and scale down the number of troops in the valley.
Once both sides decide on how to pull back troops from frontline positions, the next task would be withdrawing reinforcements and equipment from rear areas.
Indian and Chinese diplomats will hold talks through a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs.
The Line of Actual Control (LAC), which came into existence after the bloody war in 1962, is poorly defined and there have been sporadic face-offs sans gunfire.
India’s foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said: “Therefore, it is our expectation that the Chinese side will sincerely work with us for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas at the earliest.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field