Eighth round of India-China diplomatic talks to take place on November 6

The eighth round of corps commander level and diplomatic talks between India and China to resolve the Ladakh standoff is scheduled for November 6. These talks will take place on the Indian side of Chushul-Moldo in Ladakh. This will be the first round to be led by new Leh Corps Commander Lt Gen PGK Menon, who accompanied former GOC 14 corps commander Lt.Gen Harinder Singh in the previous two rounds. The last seven rounds of dialogue between India and China have been inconclusive, as India has been demanding complete de-escalation and disengagement by China from all friction points along the Line of Actual Control, to which China has not agreed so far.

The Seventh round was held on October 12 which continued for more than 11 hours after which a joint statement was released calling for enhanced communication and peaceful resolution through dialogue. Both India and China have deployed over 50,000 soldiers on each side before the sixth round of corps commander level talks held on September 21 after which status quo maintenance came into being. After the sixth round, India and China jointly decided to freeze the movement of troops, weapons and other deployments on either side until the issue is resolved.

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Indian forces are deployed on stronghold points in the region with the added advantage of diplomatic upper edge with nations like US, France, Australia and Japan supporting India on the issue. In the 8th round of talks, secretary MEA Naveen Srivastava is once again expected to lead the diplomatic front in the dialogue. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has been vocal on the issue and strongly conveyed about India's will for peaceful resolution of the border tension. S. Jaishankar called the relationship with China severely disturbed affirming India's strong desire to resolve them through dialogue.

Prior to these corps commander level talks, virtual talks were held that attempted to de-escalate tensions with diplomatic involvements and to implement the five-point agreement reached between their foreign ministers in Moscow on September 10.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet in the backdrop of a deteriorating situation in eastern Ladakh triggered by a fresh confrontation between the armies of the two countries.

At the meeting, the two sides reached a five-point agreement that 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 Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Indian armed forces are well prepared for a long winter haul in the region with special extreme cold condition arrangements done by the army to prevent casualties due to harsh weather. The date for the 8th round of talks will soon be announced while India remains firm on its agenda to push China back from all stand-off points along the LAC.

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