India, China hold talks again, but de-escalation far off on ground

NEW DELHI: A year after troop disengagement between India and China from the two remaining face-off sites at Depsang and Demchok in Ladakh, there is no actual de-escalation on the ground, with the rival armies set to remain forward deployed for the sixth successive winter.

The military thrust amid diplomatic detente is to manage tensions and "maintain peace and tranquillity" along the LAC. People's Liberation Army, however, continues with its relentless infrastructure build-up along the frontier.

At the 23rd round of corps commander-level meeting at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on Oct 25, "both sides agreed to continue to use existing mechanisms to resolve any ground issues along the border to maintain stability", MEA said on Wednesday. The meeting between the Indian 14 Corps commander and the South Xinjiang military district chief was held in "a friendly and cordial atmosphere". The two sides "noted the progress" since the 22nd round between them a year ago and "shared the view that peace and tranquillity has been maintained in border areas", MEA added.