LAC: India, China head for another meeting - Fifth meeting of senior commanders — at the lieutenant general level — since May

Army vehicles move towards Leh along the Manali-Leh highway, amid the ongoing India-China border dispute in Kullu district on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. PTI

Anita Joshua  |  TT  |  New Delhi  | 25.07.20  : India and China on Friday decided to have another meeting of senior military commanders for troop disengagement and further de-escalation at the border, in an indication that the process is not going as agreed to.

This will be the fifth meeting of senior commanders — at the lieutenant general level — since May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said on June 19 that no intruders are present on Indian territory.

In spite of multiple engagements at various levels, the Chinese have apparently stepped back from face-off points only at the Galwan Valley and Gogra, where buffer zones varying from upwards of 4km have been created.

At Hot Springs and the Pangong Lake, however, the Chinese troops have moved back only marginally and continue to command the heights.

This stalemate has continued for over a week now despite India repeatedly saying that bilateral relations hinge on peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

Another commanders’ meeting was the only takeaway on Friday from the third meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs since the face-off began.

The talks were held at the level of the joint secretary in the external affairs ministry and the director-general of the boundary and oceanic department of the Chinese foreign ministry.

The Indian readout was not very different from the statement issued after the previous meeting of the Working Mechanism, held after the conversation between the two special representatives on July 5 – a development billed as a breakthrough moment in the standoff.

An unofficial translation of the Chinese statement sounded a bit more upbeat. It said the two sides had fully affirmed the positive progress made by their frontline border defence forces in disengaging from contact and easing the ground situation.

China did not immediately react publicly to the Indian government’s decision to amend the General Financial Rules, 2017, and impose restrictions on public procurement from bidders of countries that share a land border with India.

In April, the government had used a similar formulation – sharing a land border with India – to impose restrictions on foreign investments without specifically naming China. Both actions are being seen as directed at China.

While China had called for a review in April – which India promptly turned down, arguing it was not country-specific – it has chosen silence on the procurement restrictions for now.