India-China border dispute: 18th round of corps commander level talks held

New Delhi: India and China are holding the 18th round of Corps Commander Level talk on Sunday to resolve the three-year-old military standoff.

Fire and Fury Corps Commander Lt Gen Rashim Bali is meeting with an equivalent rank officer from China at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the Eastern Ladakh sector. The last meeting was in December and brought together Corps Commander level officials.

The defence sources said that today's meeting is taking place when both countries are engaged in rapid construction activities along the border areas to strengthen their respective positions. India has raised the issue of the Depsang plains, Demchok, and disengagement by both sides repeatedly.

China has been trying to alter the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) by aggressively moving forward with heavy weaponry and a large number of troops in 2020 during the initial period of the Covid pandemic. Neither side has disengaged but moved to new positions to avoid confrontations.

Both parties have agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. But, China hasn't shown any signs of wanting to resolve the issue.

Chinese troops are not allowing forward movements in the Depsang plains and blocking Indian patrols.

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