India, China fail to break impasse over Depsang

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, April 24

Military commander-level talks between India and China, which ended late last night, failed to make a headway on defusing the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh.

Sources said differences remained unresolved over pulling back of troops from the Depsang plains.

A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs today said: “The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of relevant issues along the LAC in Western Sector (official nomenclature of the LAC along Ladakh) to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations.” The commanders “had an exchange of views in an open and candid manner,” the statement said, adding that in the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground.

“The two sides agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest,” the statement said.

Sources said “the talks have ended in a stalemate” and India was expected to raise the matter with Chinese Defence Minister when he visits for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting on April 27-28.

The two sides are locked in a tense military build-up since April 2020. The 18th round of talks was conducted on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh yesterday.

Almost on expected lines, the talks have hit a deadlock over the pending resolution of disputes at Depsang, a 972 sq km plateau where the two sides have an issue over troop positions, especially at the “bottleneck” on the eastern edge of Depsang.

India had been objecting to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deliberately blocking Indian patrols on this specific patrolling route in Depsang, the sources said. Prior to April 2020, Indian patrols used the patrolling route. However, the PLA has been craftily using a clause in a 30-year-old border agreement to block Indian patrols.