The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs will hold a meeting on Thursday, when the military dialogue between senior commanders from the two sides has hit a roadblock due to Beijing’s reluctance to restore status quo ante in some key friction areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
The military commanders set the timeframe and method of disengagement, while the WMCC monitors the process. The outcome of the WMCC meeting is likely to determine, when the senior commanders could meet next.
Here are five things you need to know about the India-China border dispute in the Ladakh sector:
* Five rounds of top-level military talks have failed to break the deadlock following serious differences between India and China that flared up after transgressions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) this summer. The Indian Army has taken the hard line with the PLA, as it seeks to restore the status quo ante of early April in eastern Ladakh.
* The sizeable Chinese troop presence at friction points, particularly Pangong lake and Depsang plains, remains an area of key concern for the Indian Army. Beijing is yet to deliver on understandings regarding disengagement reached during the July 5 phone conversation between the Special Representatives on the border issue and meetings of corps commanders.
* The Finger Area—a set of eight cliffs jutting out of Sirijap range overlooking Pangong lake—has emerged as the hardest part of the disengagement process. Disengagement has progressed somewhat smoothly at friction points in Galwan Valley and Hot Springs, but its pace remains sluggish in Gogra area.
* There is growing consensus among Indian officials and China experts that military talks are unlikely to deliver further results, and the resolution of the issue will require political and diplomatic intervention. The Indian military has made preparations for a long haul in the Ladakh sector.
* De-escalation along the disputed border can only begin after complete disengagement between the two armies on the LAC. The ground situation remains unchanged in the Ladakh sector, where both armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in both their forward and depth areas.
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