Ladakh standoff: Military talks between India-China frank, in-depth; focus was on resolution of issues, says joint statement

A joint statement issued by India and China said that the talks were frank and in-depth while the focus remained on the resolution of remaining issues.

17th round of India-China core commander level meeting was held at Chushul Moldo on the Chinese side on December 20.

India-China Border Row: Amid the tense situation along the LAC, India and China today held the 17th round of military talks on the eastern Ladakh row. According to a joint statement, both sides agreed to maintain stability on the ground. The joint statement said that the talks were frank and in-depth while the focus remained on the resolution of remaining issues.

"The 17th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on 20th December 2022...The two sides exchanged views on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector in an open and constructive manner....Two sides agreed to maintain security & stability on ground in the Western Sector & agreed to stay in close contact & maintain dialogue through military & diplomatic channels work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest," said Ministry of Defence in a statement.

It may be noted that the talks comes weeks after a fresh stand-off was witnessed between the two countries in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang. 

"The 17th round of India-China Corps Commander level meeting was held at Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on December 20," Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a media briefing, reading from the statement. He said the two sides exchanged views on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western sector in an "open and constructive manner".

The eastern Ladakh region is referred to as Western sector by the government.

The India-China border row has also disrupted Parliament as opposition demanded the government to discuss it in details while the Centre has maintained that the statement made by Defence Minister on the issue is sufficient. 

This is a developing story.