India has told China, in no uncertain terms, that New Delhi is not going accept anything less than complete “disengagement” on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh where PLA troops continue to be in standoff with Indian soldiers. This was Indian diplomatic team’s terse response to China refusing to budge from its position during a virtual meeting held on Thursday.
According to sources, Indian officials reminded Chinese side of recent statements of China’s Foreign Minister who had talked about increasing “mutual trust” and stressed the need to “work with India to maintain peace along LAC.”
“China should walk the talk now, and the time has come to show it,” Indian officials said unequivocally,
“The differences continue to be as they were on the disengagement and de-escalation process along LAC,” says an official privy to the interactions between both the sides. Sources told The Daily Guardian that Indian side told Chinese officials that New Delhi wants speedy resolution to this standoff. It will not allow the situation to be a long drawn out affair, officials added.
Meanwhile, Chinese side through its state media in Beijing started a disinformation campaign indicating that the two sides had “positively evaluated the progress” in the disengagement process.
India outright rejected saying it is China’s ploy to spread this kind of rumors. Officials privy to the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) meeting on border affairs dismissed this assertion of Chinese foreign ministry.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a virtual media briefing the two sides will continue to work towards complete disengagement on the LAC. “In this context, they agreed to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner and in accordance with existing agreements and protocols,” he added.
The WMCC meeting was co-chaired by joint secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava of the external affairs ministry and Hong Liang, director general of the boundary and oceanic department of China’s foreign ministry. This was the WMCC’s fifth virtual meeting since the standoff along LAC in Ladakh.
“Chinese foreign ministry’s assertion that the two sides had “positively evaluated” the progress in disengagement of troops at friction points on the LAC is just ridiculous,” say Indian officials.
MEA spokesperson characterised the discussions during the WMCC meeting as “candid and in-depth” and said the two sides “reaffirmed that in accordance with the agreements reached between the two foreign ministers and the two Special Representatives (SRs), the two sides will continue to sincerely work towards complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in the western sector”.
“The two sides were in agreement that restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” Srivastava added.
The two sides acknowledged the need to maintain close communication through diplomatic and military channels to ensure complete disengagement, and agreed to continue ongoing engagements, including the meetings of WMCC, he said.