According to a report in the Times of India, the seventh round of commander-level talks will be held today (12th October) and will include senior diplomats as the representative of China for the first time to reduce tensions on the Indo-China border in eastern Ladakh.
According to the newspaper, the Chinese delegation may include foreign ministry officials and political commissioners in the meeting. Earlier in the sixth round of talks held on 21 September, a senior diplomat, Joint Secretary (East Asia) Naveen Srivastava participated on behalf of India.
On September 10, a five-point agreement was reached in a meeting between Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wong Yi in Moscow. But after the lack of uniformity in its implementation at the ground level, India included a senior diplomat in the next meeting.
India will be represented by Lt-Generals Harinder Singh and P G K Menon as well as Naveen Srivastava, among others, in the seventh round of talks to be held on the Indian side of the Chushul-Moldo border personnel meeting point.
The seventh Corps Commander meet will be Lt Gen Harinder Sings last. He moves to Dehradun on October 14 as the Commandant of the Indian Military Academy. His successor Lt Gen PGK Menon is part of Monday’s meeting.
According to experts, New Delhi will once again emphasise on free and unrestricted access to the 15 Patrolling Points that China has currently blocked in Eastern Ladakh. Mere disengagement will not do, India will assert on a time-bound de-escalation and de-induction and this will take time.
