India, China Make Another Attempt to Defuse Border Tensions

Both India and China have made major deployments of troops to areas along their 3,488 km border. Troops from the two countries engaged in a series of skirmishes beginning in May last year that led to casualties on both sides. Since then, tensions have mounted between the two, with each side accusing the other of violating bilateral pacts.

India and China are set to hold their 13th round of talks on Sunday to address the ongoing military stand-off between the two countries.

The talks are scheduled to be held at Moldo (Chushul) on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control and are likely to focus on a resolution of the friction point at Hot Springs in the Ladakh sector.

The top-level military dialogue is being held amid reports that earlier this month, Indian soldiers engaged in a tense standoff with Chinese troops who had transgressed in Arunachal Pradesh state across the Line of Actual Control.

There have been 12 rounds of military commander-level talks between June 2020 and August 2021, with the disengagement of troops and equipment having been completed both north and south of Pangong Tso and the Gogra Heights. However, talks are yet to be held on the disputed Hot Springs, Demchok, and Depsang Plains.

On 9 October, Indian Army General M.M. Naravane voiced concerns about the ongoing large-scale Chinese troop build-up.

"To sustain that kind of build-up there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side," the Army Chief said on Saturday while speaking at India Today Conclave in New Delhi.

"So, it means they [People's Liberation Army] are there to stay. But if they are there to stay, we are there to stay too. The build-up and infrastructure development on our side is as good as what the PLA has done", Gen. Naravane added.

Tensions between the armies of the two countries escalated to an unprecedented level in June 2020, when 20 Indian soldiers and four members of the People's Liberation Army were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley. The two sides have opened several channels to ease the tensions along the border. However, a deadlock persists over a range of issues.