As military commander of India-China get set to meet, Delhi hopes for de-escalation

New Delhi, Nov 03: The next round of talks between India and China will be crucial and New Delhi hopes for partial disengagement at some friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

It would be important to thin down the troops as a first step towards disengagement, officials familiar with the developments told OneIndia. There have been seven rounds of military commander level talks since June. However, there has been no disengagement.

During the earlier round of talks, China made certain unacceptable demands with regard to de-escalation. China suggested it would patrol till Finger 5 of Pangong Tso, whole India would patrol till Finger 3. This arrangement is unacceptable to India because Finger 4 will become part of occupied Aksai Chin.

Sources said that if this proposal by the Chinese is accepted then Finger 4 becomes out of bounds. This has been outrightly rejected, the official said.

The Chinese perception of the LAC by a 1959 line runs through Finger 4 of the Pangong Tso lake. On the other hand, the Indian perception is that the line runs through Finger 8 of the lake. The People's Liberation Army has built a road right up to Finger 4 from Finger 8.

India has also rejected Beijing's proposal that the Army vacate Rezang La-Rechin La ridge line on the south bank of Pangong Tso. China had said that this could be the first part of the disengagement process.

After the military commander level talks held earlier this month, India and China said that both sides held that discussions were constructive and marked by enhanced understanding of each other's positions. India and China agree to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels. It was agreed at Sino-India talks to maintain dialogue for mutually acceptable solution for disengagement as early as possible, the Indian Army also said.

In this backdrop Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President, Xi Jinping are likely to meet thrice this month. The two leaders will meet at summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on November 10, the BRICS summit on November 17 and G20 summit on November 21. While the BRICS and SCO grouping will be hosted by Russia, the G-20 will be organised by Saudi Arabia.

Both leaders are meeting for the first time after tensions broke out between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. The meeting of the two leaders is important considering the fact that several rounds of military and diplomatic talks have not yielded the desired results.

The SCO is a more important forum for India to underscore concerns about terrorism and also the need to respect regional integrity and sovereignty.