Ninth round of Corps Commander-level talks underway

The ninth round of Corps Commander talks between India and China are underway on Sunday at Moldo border personnel assembly level on the Chinese facet reverse Chushul in Eastern Ladakh as both sides attempt to work out a phased disengagement and de-escalation plan to finish the nine-month-long standoff.

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A defence official mentioned that the talks started at Moldo at 10 a.m.

Officials mentioned a broad disengagement plan had been labored out however had been held up over some particular points. Both sides would try to work that out on the talks, a second official mentioned. This was the rationale for the delay in scheduling the ninth round of talks. The eighth round of talks had been held on November 6 final 12 months.

It must be a complete disengagement plan starting with all friction level in Eastern Ladakh after which de-escalation alongside the Line of Actual Control, the second official mentioned referring to China’s insistence for discussions centred round South Bank of Pangong Tso first and take up different friction areas later.

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The Indian delegation is led by Lt. Gen. PGK Menon, 14 Corps Commander, and consists of Naveen Srivastava, Additional Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs. A MEA consultant has been half of the previous few rounds of talks as nicely. The delegation additionally consists of two Major Generals and two Brigadiers and Deepam Seth, Inspector General North West Frontier from Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

Officials have said on a number of events that any withdrawal can be phased and can take time, given the big quantity of troops and gear deployed by either side and likewise confirm compliance on the bottom by the Chinese facet at every step.

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The talks are guided by the five-point-plan for disengagement and de-escalation agreed between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10 final 12 months. After the sixth round of talks on September 21, 2020 either side for the primary time issued a joint assertion wherein they agreed to “stop sending more troops to the frontline” and “refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground.”