JAISHANKAR, WANG YI WILL MEET IN TASHKENT, DISCUSS LAC

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are likely to hold another round of talks later this month in Tashkent. The meeting is likely to take place on 27-28 July during which the ongoing standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) may be discussed, The Daily Guardian Review has learnt from top diplomatic sources.

Jaishankar and Wang may be holding talks on the sidelines of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference that is scheduled to take place in the capital of Uzbekistan. The meeting between the two will be an important

development as it will be happening days after 16th round of military marathon talks between India and China could not yield positive results on Sunday. According to highly-placed sources, China remained rigid as India continued to seek fast resolution of all outstanding issues on the LAC in eastern Ladakh. “India continued to insist on complete restoration of the status quo ante as of April 2020, but the Chinese side remained non-committal,” sources said, adding, “Despite 16th round of military level talks, the status quo ante of April 2020 that India has been insisting on is nowhere to be seen.”   

During the last interactions with Wang Yi on the margins of G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali, Jaishankar had pressed for his Chinese counterpart to complete disengagement of troops in order to restore peace and tranquility in border areas. The Chinese minister had been told that the dragging military standoff has taken bilateral ties to an all-time low.

So, even at the military level talks on Sunday, the Indian delegation remained firm on its demand of complete disengagement from areas like Depsang Plains and Demchok, sources said. India and China disengaged from north and south banks of Pangong Tso and Gogra Heights last year. “Another achievement of the military talks so far has been that it has helped calm down tempers on both the sides, with no new flare-ups reported,” sources added.  

An official told TDG, “The situation cannot be described as normal until China fulfils India’s demand on restoration of status quo ante as of April 2020.” Jaishankar wants the Indian diplomats and military officials to build pressure on their Chinese counterparts so that ‘status quo ante’ could be in sight.

While talking to Wang in the Indonesian city, Jaishankar recalled the disengagement of troops in some friction areas, reiterating the need to sustain the momentum to complete disengagement from all the remaining areas to restore peace, tranquility in the border areas.   

As the Indian foreign minister is set to meet his counterpart from China in Tashkent, he is going to again mount pressure on Beijing in this regard, sources say. Jaishankar and Wang will be taking stock of the progress so far at the military level talks. However, Jaishankar will be emphasizing the importance of fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols and understandings between the two ministers during the previous conversations, sources say.