China on Wednesday said that it hoped that Beijing and New Delhi will make significant progress to achieve settlement on the border issue which is acceptable to both the countries.
“We hope at the upcoming round of talks; the two sides can make a further step forward on the border issue. We hope we can seek proper settlement of the disputes and reach a solution that is acceptable to both sides,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.
China on Wednesday confirmed that India will host Corps Commander-level on 11th March at the Chushul Moldo sector in Ladakh at the LAC.
Spokesperson Lijian said that the two sides had frank and exhaustive discussions with each other during the previous (14th) round of talks on finding solution to “remaining issues” at the LAC, held on 12th January. There was however no fresh breakthrough on these issues.
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The previous 14 rounds of talks have resolved issues pertaining to areas of North and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra Hot Springs.
The 22-months old military tensions at the LAC, which began after a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas, peaked in June 2020 in the Galwan valley where 20 Indian soldiers were martyred following a violent confrontation triggered by China.
In a recent report titled “Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence community” compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, it cited the 2020 lethal Galwan clashes as a critical event which has strained the relations between the two nuclear armed neighbours.
“Previous standoffs have demonstrated that persistent low-level friction on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has the potential to escalate swiftly,” the report said.
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Recently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that New Delhi and Beijing must stop “draining each other’s energies” and work together to accomplish respective economic and social goals.
In a sign of territorial aggression, China’s top legislative body in 2021 approved the law for the “Protection and exploitation of the country’s land border areas”, which has come into effect from January 1, 2022. The law is seen as a legal assertion to the Chinese territorial claims, especially with India and Bhutan with which it has territorial disputes.
