New Delhi: The situation at “friction points” in eastern Ladakh remains unchanged and continues to be tense, four days after foreign ministers of India and China agreed on a five-point plan to resolve the prolonged border standoff, government sources said on Monday.
The sources also said both the Indian and Chinese troops are firmly holding onto their respective positions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
They said while the situation in the region continues to be tense, no fresh movement of Chinese troops was witnessed.
The Indian Army will not lower its guard and will maintain the current state of very high-level of combat readiness in eastern Ladakh till there are visible changes in the ground situation, the sources added.
The sources said the date for the much-anticipated Corps commander-level talks between the two armies is yet to be firmed up but it is likely to take place in the next few days.
The military talks are expected to focus on implementation of certain provisions of the five-point consensus to ease tensions.
India and China reached an agreement to resolve their border row at a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow last Thursday on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet.
The agreement included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.
However, the agreement has not mentioned any timeline for disengagement of troops.
Meanwhile, Chinese envoy Sun Weidong, referring to consensus reached during previous talks between leaders of the two countries, said both sides should “pursue win-win cooperation” instead of “zero-sum game”.
“I hope and believe that as long as the two sides earnestly implement the consensus reached by the two foreign ministers to the front-line troops and adhere to the correct means of dialogue and negotiation, the two sides will find a way to overcome the current difficulties,” Sun was quoted as saying by the Chinese embassy. He was commenting on the Jaishankar-Wang talks.
The envoy further said: “As long as the two sides keep moving the relationship in the right direction building on the previous achievements, there will be no difficulty or challenge that can’t be overcome.” PTI

Press Trust of India