The seventh round of talks between India and China is scheduled to take place on Monday in Chushul on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). An Indian delegation led by Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh will arrive for the meet which will begin at 12 noon.
Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Naveen Srivastava will also be a part of the delegation in line with the previous round of Indo-China military talks. This will also be the last meeting to be attended by Lt General Harinder Singh who is in the process of handing over command of the Indian Army's 14 Corp to Lt Gen PGK Menon.
The China Study Group met in Delhi on Friday to discuss the approach to negotiating with the Chinese. This group counts among its members Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, EAM S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, CFS General Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs.
Sources had told India Today at the time that the Indian delegation holds the view that the entire eastern Ladakh region should be discussed in terms of disengagement.
On Sunday, news agency PTI quoted sources to assert that India will strongly oppose any demand by China for the withdrawal of Indian troops from strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong lake. The Chinese had insisted on the Indian Army's withdrawal from Magar hill, Mukhpari and Rezang La areas during the previous round of Corps Commander-level talks.
With both sides gearing up for winter deployment, this round of military talks is of key importance. Throughout the negotiation phase, India has maintained that disengagement must begin simultaneously at all friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.During the sixth round of military talks held on September 21, both India and China had agreed not to deploy any more troops on the frontline. A discussion was held during this meeting along the lines of a five-point agenda mutually agreed upon by EAM S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow on September 10.
This meet was followed by diplomatic talks under the scope of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs on September 30. However, no concrete outcome emerged as a result of this dialogue.
India continues to seek complete disengagement at all friction points along the LAC and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.