India, China key commander-level talks over Ladakh standoff: Here's what to expect

New Delhi: The unprecedented Lt General-level talk between India and China is taking place at Chushul-Moldo border point on the Chinese side in a bid to resolve the month-long dispute over the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This comes a day after the foreign ministry officials of both nations on Friday (June 5) discussed the flaring of tensions on the disputed Himalayan border.

The positive approach by the two countries in addressing strain in ties came at a video conference between Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the external affairs ministry and Wu Jianghao, director-general in China's foreign ministry on Friday evening.

Without directly referring to the military standoff, the External Affairs Ministry said the two sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations including the current developments.

The Indian delegation of officials will include Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of 14 Corps along with 10 other officers who were part of the earlier meetings with the Chinese counterparts.

The Chinese side of the delegation will be represented by Major General Lin Liu, Corps Commander, South Xinjiang Military Division and 10 other officers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who were part of earlier talks with India.

In the military talks, the Indian delegation will press for the restoration of status quo ante in Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and Gogra in eastern Ladakh. India will also oppose the huge build-up of Chinese troops in the region and is most likely to raise the resistance from the Chinese side on the development of infrastructure by India on its side of the de-facto border, sources said.

India is also likely to seek the removal of temporary camps erected by Chinese force after the violent face-offs on May 5 in which soldiers of two sides were assaulted and injured.

Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution to the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area. 

It is learned that the delegation of two sides is engaged in diplomatic talks to find a solution to the face-off which is turning out to be most serious after the 2017 Doklam standoff. 

And even as India does not expect an immediate concrete outcome from the single Saturday's meet, the government considers it important as the high-level military dialogue between the two could pave the way for a negotiated settlement of the tense standoff.