Amidst reports of the Chinese constructing a new village inside the McMahon Line in Arunachal and a minor clash between the soldiers of the two countries in Sikkim, India and China have agreed to push for an early disengagement of troops and resolved to continue “effective efforts” to stabilize and control the situation in eastern Ladakh. The Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh witnessed bloody clashes between soldiers of India and China last year, leading to the death of soldiers on both sides. The situation still remains tense. The Chinese have maintained an aggressive stand across the LAC.
The recent talk was the ninth round of military talks on the border row between soldiers of India and China. It is being led by senior military commanders from both the sides. The 9th round of the talks was held after a gap of a few months. So far, the talks are failing to yield any positive result. The de-escalation has not happened. The border continues to remain much tense. The recent clash reported from Nakula Pass in Sikkim exposes the harsh reality. It is reported that the Chinese side is putting pressure on India to vacate from certain heights in the Ladakh sector as a condition for de-escalation. The Indian side should be mindful of accepting any such pre-condition. The two sides should continue their efforts in ensuring restraint by the frontline troops and control the situation along the LAC in the western sector of the China-India border. The Indian negotiators have a big job on their hand.