India, China likely to hold 14th round Corps Commander-level talks in December second half

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New Delhi: In a bid to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China are likely to hold the 14th round of corps commander talks in the second half of December.

"The invitation for the 14th round of talks has to come from the Chinese side. It is likely that the talks would be held in the second half of December," government sources told ANI.

The sources said the timing would be suitable for India as the armed force would be busy with the celebrations as it is the golden jubilee of crushing defeat of Pakistan and Indian victory in the 1971 war till December 16. India and China have been holding the talks on the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh area to resolve the standoff and 13 rounds have been held so far.

The two sides are looking at the resolution of the Hot Springs friction point which emerged after the Chinese aggression least year. The friction points on the banks of the Pangong lake and Gogra heights have been resolved but Hot Springs remains to be addressed, the sources said.

India has also been demanding the resolution of the DBO area and CNN junction area which have been there before the April-May timeframe last year and are considered to be legacy issues. India responded very aggressively to Chinese aggression and checked their actions at multiple locations after the PLA managed to spring an initial surprise.

The Galwan clash also took place in June there in which both sides suffered casualties. India has been working towards establishing peace in the area but has also maintained a high level of preparedness to thwart any misadventure by the enemy troops.

Both sides have deployed a large number of troops in the area along with heavy weaponry. The infrastructure build-up has also been very heavy. China has increased its activities in the areas opposite Ladakh by building habitats for troops very close to the LAC and it seems it has a larger gameplan in view of its aggressive infrastructure build-up. 

India has also made rapid developments in terms of roads and habitats for troops and sources estimated that India can easily manage over 2 lakh soldiers in the area in extreme winters in case such a large number of troops are required to be there.