New Delhi

Confirming the 15th round of high-level military talks on March 11, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that in the last round of talks in January, the "two sides had a candid, in-depth exchange of views the relevant issues about the west section of the China-India boundary and issued a joint press release".

They on Wednesday said that they were hopeful that India and China will make progress during the upcoming 15th round of bilateral military talks on Friday to resolve the ongoing border friction at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said, “We hope at the upcoming round of talks, the two sides can make a further step forward on the border issue. We hope we can seek proper settlement of the disputes and reach a solution that is acceptable to both sides.”

Indian and Chinese border troops have been locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh since May 2020, when a violent clash in Pangong lake followed by the deadly Galwan Valley fighting led to both sides gradually deploying tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry along the border. So far, troops have disengaged from three points but more friction points remain. The 14th round of commander-level talks held in January had ended on a more positive note following the sobering 13th round in October, at the end of which both sides had traded complaints and accusations.

In the joint statement issued after the 14 round of talks, the two sides had agreed to follow the guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries and work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. Both the countries had also agreed to consolidate the previous outcomes and take effective efforts to maintain the security and stability on the ground.

They had further 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. The focus of Friday’s talks is likely to be on disengaging troops as soon as possible in all the remaining friction points – a step repeatedly pushed by New Delhi as a precursor to normalising ties -- including in Depsang Bulge and Demchok.

In November, both countries had agreed to ease the LAC standoff by shifting from emergency response to “normalised control” of the disputed boundary, a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said after the 23rd round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs was held via video link.

Speaking on the state of ties, spokesperson Zhao said the two countries should be partners for mutual success rather than adversaries of mutual attrition. “We always believe that China India relations are mature and multilayered,” Zhao said, adding, “The boundary issue between us is not the whole of the China India relations. we need to put the issues in a proper position in the bilateral relations and properly manage it.”

On the issue of people-to-people exchanges, Zhao said, “Under conditions of ensuring safety amid the pandemic China and India can and should have exchanges through various means such as video conference and virtual diplomacy. We can also try to have some face to face meetings to enhance people’s understanding and bring our people closer.”

ALSO READ: Hospital in Ukraine hit by Russian shelling