India, China to hold diplomatic talks this week for de-escalation in eastern Ladakh

Diplomatic talks between India and China are scheduled to take place this week for the purpose of de-escalation and disengagement in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. This comes in the wake of a violent face-off between Indian troops and soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the night of June 15 which resulted in 20 Indian soldiers being killed in the line of duty.

Since the tragic incident last Monday, multiple rounds of military talks have been held by both sides to prevent any further flare-ups.

The first of these military talks were held on June 6 at the Moldo border personnel meeting point on the Chinese side, opposite Chushul in India. Commander of the 14 Corps, Lt General Harinder Singh led the Indian delegation while his counterpart Major General Lin Liu was tasked with presenting China’s side of the equation.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Chinese foreign ministry have been engaged in an intense exchange of official statements over the events of June 15. EAM Dr S Jaishankar spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on call on June 16 to discuss the violent face-off.

Since the discussion, India has maintained that the events of June 15 were the result of a pre-meditated attack on Indian soldiers. In its official statement, the Indian Army has confirmed that 20 soldiers were killed in the line of duty while another 76 incurred injuries. The Chinese have stated that PLA also suffered casualties but are yet to release an official figure.