Indian, Chinese Corps Commanders to meet ahead of SCO Defence Ministers meeting

New Delhi, April 23  Ahead of the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Delhi this week, India and China on Sunday held the 18th Corps Commanders-level talks — nearly five months after the last round in December last year.

At the meeting at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the eastern Ladakh sector, the Ladakh-based Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali led the Indian side. It is understood to have raised the issue of the Depsang plains, Demchok and disengagement by both sides.

The repeated attempts by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to violate the Line of Actual Control (LAC), leading to tension in Ladakh, spurred the institution of the Corps Commander-level meetings in 2020. While the two sides agreed on mutual withdrawals from Pangong Tso, Gogra, and Hot Springs, the Depsang Plains and Demchok remain points of contention and tension.

Both sides have not been able to make any headway on these two issues. India has sought de-escalation in which additional troops and equipment will be withdrawn to resume the status of April 2020. However, China has not agreed and wants the present holding positions to be recognised.

Amid the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting on April 27-28, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also likely to hold bilateral talks with his newly-installed Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu.

The SCO comprises Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.