Third Corp Commander-level meet today amid Ladakh standoff; no breakthrough in sight

New Delhi: Indian and Chinese armies are scheduled to hold the third Corp Commander-level meeting on Tuesday in another attempt to de-escalate the ongoing military stand-off between the two countries in the Ladakh sector.

However, there is not much hope of any major breakthrough from the meeting, said sources.

This time the Corp Commander-level meeting is planned at Chushul, which is on the Indian side of line of actual control (LAC). The earlier two meetings were held in Moldo on the Chinese side.

“The agenda of the meeting will be to discuss a timeline for disengagement and bringing down tension along the LAC,” said sources. India will ask the Chinese to revert back to the status quo of April 2020 at the LAC in the Ladakh sector.

Even though both sides had reached a “consensus to disengage” from “all friction areas” in Ladakh in the last Corp Commander meeting on June 22, there has been no improvement on the ground.

There were also no major general level or commanding officer level talks after the June 22 meeting, as had happened after the first Corps Commander level talks on June 6. “This shows that both sides have still not reached an agreement where disengagement could begin. There has been hardening of positions,” said sources.  

The 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh will represent India and People’s Liberation Army’s South Xinjiang Military Region commander Maj Gen Liu Lin will head Chinese delegation.

Both armies are in an eyeball-to-eyeball position in many areas in Ladakh and the Chinese army is trying to open new fronts. There has no significant sign of any attempt by the Chinese to disengage from a confrontation. In some places like in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, the Chinese army only seemed to have increased their troop buildup and fortified their positions. India and China are involved in a bitter stand-off at Pangong Tso,  Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, Gogra Post, Depsang and Daulat Beg Oldie sector among others. Indian army has done mirror deployment in all these areas to counter any action by the Chinese.