Talks to resolve India-China border dispute fizzle once again

解決印中邊界爭議的談判再次破局

13th round of talks took place in China-controlled portion of Ladakh on Sunday


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Indian and Chinese militaries announced their joint failure to reach an agreement that would have led to troop drawdowns in remote regions along their 3,500-kilometer border on Monday (Oct. 10), according to reports.

Commanders from the two sides met Sunday in the Chinese-controlled portion of Ladakh after a two-month hiatus. The lack of an agreement means that troops will continue to be stationed in the coming months at altitudes above 4,000 meters, where winter temperatures drop below 30 degrees Celsius.

Under normal circumstances, the soldiers pull back from their forward positions this time of year and wait out the colder months in more hospitable climes. Both sides have blamed the other for the stalemate that will keep troops in place.

According to a statement by India’s defense ministry, the Indian side gave “constructive suggestions” at the talks, while the Chinese side was “not agreeable” and offered no “forward-looking proposals,” per the Hindu.

Long Shaohua, spokesman for China’s Western Theatre Command, said that India had made “unreasonable and unrealistic demands,” according to the South China Morning Post. He trumpeted China’s sincerity in wanting to resolve the matter.

“China’s determination to safeguard national sovereignty is unwavering and we hope that the Indian side will not misjudge the situation,” the spokesman added.

Indian General M.M. Naravane expressed frustration at China’s military buildup along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, where China has been reportedly building helipads, surface-to-air missile sites, and radar locations, as well as widening airstrips, according to the AP. China is also said to be building dozens of winterized barracks.

“Yes, it is a matter of concern that the large-scale buildup has occurred and continues to be in place,” the general said, per the AP. “And to sustain that kind of a buildup, there has been an equal amount of infrastructure development on the Chinese side.”

“So, it means that they (China) are there to stay. We are keeping a close watch on all these developments, but if they are there to stay, we are there to stay, too,” he continued.

China and India have been in an active struggle for control of sparsely inhabited terrain in the Himalayas for 17 months now, with 13 military-to-military talks known to have been held so far. Sunday’s talks were said to last over eight hours, according to Indian media.

Tens of thousands of troops are currently stationed along the LAC, backed by an array of military hardware and weapons systems. Since February, both sides have withdrawn some troops from the glacial lake Pangong Tso, Gogra, and the Galwan Valley, though additional soldiers have been deployed to Demchock and Depsang Plains, per Al Jazeera.

The recent conflict erupted into international view in June 2020, when a shockingly violent brawl involving troops from the two countries armed with steel rods and stones left 20 Indians dead. China later acknowledged that four of its soldiers were killed.

Although China and India fought a bloody border war in 1962, the combat deaths last year were the first for either nation along the disputed regions in many decades.