India-China joint secretaries to hold WMCC meet on border tension amid 'cordial' LAC talks

Amid growing tensions between India and China, joint secretaries of both the countries are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 24. This is a meet of the Working Mechanism on Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) for India-China Border Affairs. Both parties are likely to hold virtual meet to discuss border tensions between the two countries.

The WMCC talks are headed by joint secretary-level officials from both sides. WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between their border security personnel.

READ | Mutual consensus to disengage discussed at India-China corps commander talks; COAS in Leh

Corps Commander level talks on hold 

As Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane arrived in Leh on June 23 and reviewed the on-ground situation and visited forward locations including hospitals where Indian Army Jawans are recovering after the clash along the LAC, the Corps Commander level talks with China at Moldo that were scheduled to continue for the second day on Tuesday were put on hold. The meeting between the Indian Army's 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh and his Chinese counterpart did not take place on June 23, even as  Lt Gen Harinder Singh briefed the Army chief. The talks on the previous day were positive, as per sources.

READ | China's casualty denial escalates; after refuting '20', Beijing now calls '40' fake news

Army Commander-level talks

After 11.5 hours on Monday, the fourth set of talks Corps Commander-level talks concluded in Moldo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China. Sources stated that India demanded a return to the April status quo, asking the Chinese to remove the additional buildup done in the Galwan and Pangong Tso areas. 

Amid this, sources informed Republic that these talks were held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. There was a mutual consensus to disengage, and modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in Eastern Ladakh were discussed and will be taken forward by both the sides, sources added.

READ | India-China Corps Commander talks on; Finger areas in Pangong remain bone of contention

China admits to Commander's fatality

Also on Monday, Chinese Army officials confirmed that their commanding officer was killed in the Galwan Valley clash on June 15, as per sources. China had previously admitted they had casualties but had not revealed the numbers. US intelligence reports state that China has suffered at least 35 casualties. However, as part of its continued denial, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lijian Zhao claimed that the number of PLA casualties as shown by Indian media is 'fake'.

Galwan clash

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Colonel were martyred when a violent faceoff took place last Monday night while the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. 76 others suffered injuries in the clash, in which hundreds of soldiers from both sides are said to have engaged.

READ | China purposefully ordered LAC clash with India: US intel nails Beijing's Galwan lies