India, China Agree to Stop Sending Troops to Frontline Border in Ladakh; to Continue Military Level Talks

India and China on Tuesday released a joint statement and agreed to stop sending any more troops to the frontline in order to refrain from further worsening the ground situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Both the countries will further carry out talks to resolve the border dispute.

“On Sept 21, Indian & Chinese Senior Commanders held the 6th round of Military Commander-level meeting. They had candid & in-depth exchanges of views on stabilizing situation along LAC in India-China border areas. They agreed to implement the consensus reached by the leaders, strengthen communication on ground, avoid misunderstandings, stop sending more troops to frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing situation on ground & avoid any action that may complicate the situation,” read a statement released jointly by India and China following the military talks.

“The two sides also agreed to hold the 7th round of Military Commander-Level Meeting as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border area,” the statement added.

The statement comes after a 14-hour-long inconclusive discussion between the two countries in which the Indian side urged China to “move back” to its original position and maintain the five-point agreement reached between the two nations in the month of September to de-escalate the tensions that began in May.

It was for the first time that the Indian delegation had two Lieutenant Generals, two Major Generals and a Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).