The 18th round of military talks between India and China was held on Sunday, with focus on resolving the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh as the border row enters the fourth year. Sunday’s military talks came around four months after the last round of the dialogue between senior Army commanders of the two sides. The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
The relation between India and China continues to remain frosty. Since the Galwan conflict, things have changed dramatically. The Chinese have been trying to stir hornets’ nests along the LAC in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh too. The Chinese PLA has been behaving aggressively, trying to provoke India. The military talks to resolve the issues in eastern Ladakh have been dragging on for long. The Chinese side has not exhibited any kind of sincerity to try to resolve the tension. With Chief Minister Pema Khandu recently announcing that Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama will visit Arunachal this year, the Chinese can be expected to further harden their stand. They will try to create a tense atmosphere to try and spoil the visit. The government of India should look into this aspect and take necessary steps accordingly.