14th Round of India-China Corps Commander Level meeting positve: Colonel Wu Qian

The Chinese Defense Ministry yesterday said, the 14th round of the Corps Commander Level meeting between Indian and Chinese militaries held earlier this month was positive and constructive. At the monthly press conference in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Senior Colonel Wu Qian said that China will work closely with the Indian side to properly handle the border issue through negotiation and consultation.

Responding to a media query regarding the 14th round of talks on the China-India border issue, Wu stressed that the Chinese side believed this round of talks were positive and constructive and both sides held the talks in a frank and friendly atmosphere. 

Both the sides agreed that the next round of the Commanders’ talks should be held at the earliest. Both sides have disengaged at Galwan valley, north and south banks of Pangong Tso and Gogra post. The Indian side has maintained that both sides should disengage first at all the friction points and then de-escalate to restore peace and tranquility at the border.

 

The general atmosphere during the 14th round of military talks was good and both the sides were willing to listen to each other. The joint statement issued after the talks was a positive development and both the sides showed the intent to move ahead in resolving the remaining issues but still some understanding is required to disengage.

Both sides have moved ahead from the pessimism of 13th round to the optimism of 14th round. During the 14th round,



both sides saw leadership change in the delegations. Lt. Gen. Anindya Sengupta, who took charge of the Leh-based 14 corps recently, led the Indian delegation in the 14th round, while the Chinese delegation was led by Major General Yang Lin, who is the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) commander of the south Xinjiang military district. The delegations had both military and diplomatic representatives. The Chinese side was also joined by the Director General, Boundary Affairs of Foreign ministry who is a major diplomatic official in the boundary negotiations.

 

In the joint press release issued after the meeting on January 12, the two sides agreed that they should follow the guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries and work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. Both sides also agreed to consolidate the previous outcomes and take effective efforts to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector including during the winter.

 

They also agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. Responding to a related media query, 

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson said, the China-India border issue is a matter between the two countries, and both sides oppose the interference from a third party. India also maintains the policy of no mediation by any third party in its bilateral matters.