India: The 16th round of military talks between India and China over the border standoff in eastern Ladakh will take place on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on July 17, official sources said on Friday, July 15, 2022. India has pressed for an immediate withdrawal of troops from all remaining flashpoints in eastern Ladakh, arguing that peace and tranquility along the border are prerequisites for progress in overall bilateral relations.

"The Indian side will hold the 16th round of talks on July 17 at the Chushul-Moldo meeting place to continue talks on the LAC in eastern Ladakh," a source said.

On 11 March, the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) held their most recent round of talks. The Indian side is expected to press for an early withdrawal of troops on all remaining points of contention as well as to resolve the issues in Depsang Bulge and Demchok during the new round of talks.

The situation in eastern Ladakh was discussed extensively during last week's talks in Bali between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

During the one-hour meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Jaishankar conveyed to Wang the importance of resolving all pending issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Recalling the disengagement achieved in some frictionless areas, the EAM stressed the importance of maintaining momentum for complete disengagement from all remaining areas in order to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.

The Ladakh border standoff between Indian and Chinese armies began on May 5, 2020, following violent clashes in the Pangong Lake areas.

Both sides gradually increased their deployment by bringing in thousands of soldiers and heavy weapons.

After a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides last year completed the demilitarization process in the Gogra area along the north and south shores of Pangong Lake.
At present, each side has 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive mountainous region.

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