China and India hold further round of border talks along disputed frontier

China and India completed another round of their marathon border talks this week, the two sides announced on Wednesday.

The 21st round of corps commander-level talks were held on Monday at the Chusual-Moldo meeting point on the Line of Actual Control.

Monday's negotiations sought a "complete disengagement" along the line in Eastern Ladakh, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

China's Ministry of Defence said the commanders had agreed to look for a mutually acceptable solution "at the earliest possible time" and to "turn the page" - echoing language used during separate talks in November.

China described the talks as "positive, in-depth and constructive", while India said they had been "held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere".

Both sides said they had agreed to keep communicating through the relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms. In the interim, they were committed to maintaining peace on the ground in the border areas.

The two countries have a long-running border dispute over a territory that runs for thousands of kilometres along the Himalayas, including a border war in 1962.

Since then, there have been repeated stand-offs and clashes along the Line of Actual Control, a loosely defined ceasefire line that stretches for 3,200km. However, they have agreed not to use firearms to avoid escalation.

The current round of talks began in May 2020, focusing on disputes along the western section of the line between Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin and Indian-controlled Eastern Ladakh.

But just a month after the first round of talks, the deadliest conflict between China and India in 45 years broke out in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, when at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese were killed in a skirmish.

Since then, the two sides have staged regular exercises in the region and built up troops and infrastructure, but have also emphasised the need to continue talking to ensure peace along the disputed frontier.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.