India-China standoff: Focus shifts to Sep 10 meeting of Jaishankar-Wang Yi

New Delhi, Sep 07: The meeting between External Affairs minister, S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi has been confirmed for September 10.

Jaishankar will arrive in Moscow tomorrow, while Yi is scheduled to reach on Wednesday. The meeting of the two leaders is a much anticipated one as it is expected that the over 100 day deadlock and tense standoff between the two sides could be broken.

On September 5, Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh met with his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe. Both sides stated their formal positions, but the talks did not yield results.

Sources tell OneIndia that during the meeting, Jaishankar would tell Yi to the bilateral agreements. He would also demand the restoration of status quo ante.

Delhi is closely watching the next steps being taken by Beijing. While Beijing says that the responsibility is entirely with Delhi, India maintains that China has violated all pacts and this has led to the face-off along the Line of Actual Control.

Tensions flared in eastern Ladakh after China unsuccessfully attempted to occupy Indian territory in the Southern Bank of Pangong lake four days back when the two sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the festering border row.

India occupied a number of strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake and strengthened its presence in Finger 2 and Finger 3 areas in the region to thwart any Chinese actions. China has strongly objected to India's move.

India has also rushed in additional troops and weapons to the sensitive region following the Chinese attempts.

India had last week said the border tension in Ladakh over the past four months is a "direct result" of Chinese actions aimed at effecting unilateral change in the status quo of the region, and asserted that the only way forward to resolve it was through negotiations.

The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) that squarely put the blame on China for the prolonged border standoff came even as Chief of Defence Staff(CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat asserted that India's armed forces are capable of handling aggressive Chinese actions in "best suitable ways".