With China refusing to confirm a date for a corps commander-level talks in Ladakh, all eyes are on a meeting of national security advisors of BRICS nations. Officials told News18 that they are hoping for a response from China if things go well in the meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart. “Either late tonight or by tomorrow morning, we are expecting some clarity,” an official said.
Doval is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Thursday as part of a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) meeting. Though the meeting is at a multilateral forum, Doval and Jiechi are expected to talk about the border tension between the two nations on the sidelines. The two NSAs, officials said, share a positive equation which came in handy after the Galwan Valley clash when a mutually acceptable disengagement formula was arrived at. However, the Ministry of External Affairs said that no meeting is scheduled between Doval and Jiechi.
Corps commander-level talks were proposed to be held on September 16 or 17, but China did not confirm its participation, according to officers in the Indian security set up. They added that even at the brigade commander-level talks, China had given no indication of withdrawing from heights which India claims is on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Officials indicated that there is a possibility that officers from the Ministry of External Affairs could also be part of the corps commander-level meeting. “The agenda, the modalities and everything else will take a final shape once the NSA meet is over,” a source told News18.
Meanwhile, the situation along the LAC has been described as peaceful. Multiple officers, News18 spoke to, said that since the firing of September 8, things have been tense but calm.
Just ahead of the meeting between EAM S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the SCO Summit of Moscow, the north bank of Pangong had flared up with multiple rounds of firing. “In the last few days, commanders on the ground have been regularly informing each other, every time a vehicle moves or any kind of movement happens. That is a good sign amid so much of mistrust,” a senior officer told News18.
A massive movement of Army convoy has been happening in the region with India sending winter stocks of food and supplies. This comes amid clear signal from China that its army would not withdraw even during harsh winters.
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