New Delhi, Aug 12: In a significant development, India and China are set to hold the 19th round of military talks to ease the ongoing standoff along the Line of Actual Control on August 14. Notably, the latest round of talks come four months after the last military dialogue and just days ahead of the BRICS Summit in South Africa.

 

The possibility of a meeting between PM Modi and China's Xi Jinping has not been ruled out. The two neighbours have been locked in a border row for over three years now.

 

 

Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have more than 60,000 troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.

 

Though the Indian and Chinese armies have held multiple rounds of talks on the border issue, there have been concerns on Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector as they are still on the negotiating table.

 

The 19th round of military talks will take place in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the BRICS Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg on August 22-24. The possibility of a meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit has not been ruled out. Apart from this, the Chinese leader is expected to be in New Delhi for the G20 summit in September.

 

In July, India said Modi and Xi discussed the need to stabilise bilateral ties at a brief encounter on the margins of last year’s G20 Summit in Indonesia.

 

In a statement issued after the 18th round of talks in April, the ministry of external affairs said the two sides agreed

India-China border standoff

 

India and China have been locked in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh since April-May 2020. Bilateral ties plummeted to a six-decade low after a brutal skirmish in Galwan Valley killed 20 Indian soldiers.

 

According to India’s assessment, PLA’s casualties were twice as many as the Indian Army’s, however, Beijing officially claimed that only four Chinese soldiers were killed. India has consistently said India-China relations cannot be normalised without restoring peace and tranquillity on the border.