BEIJING – China and India agreed to reduce tensions a week after clashes inthe Ladakh region left more 20 Indian troops dead and more than 70 injuredin brutal hand-to-hand fighting.
The June 15 battle, reportedly fought with fists, clubs and rocks, was thefirst time troops have been killed on their border since 1975 and marked amajor deterioration in ties between the two Asian giants.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that after talksbetween the top regional military commanders on Monday, both sides “agreedto take necessary measures to promote a cooling of the situation”.
The *Press Trust of India *said the meeting was between Lieutenant GeneralHarinder Singh, commander of the 14 Corps, and Major General Liu Lin,commander of the Tibet Military District.
“The holding of this meeting shows that both sides want to deal with theirdisagreement, manage the situation and de-escalate the situation throughdialogue and consultations,” Zhao told a regular news conference.
The two sides “exchanged frank and in-depth views” and “agreed to maintaindialogue and jointly committed to promoting peace and tranquility in theborder areas”, Zhao added.
There was no official comment from New Delhi but an Indian army source saidthat after the meeting, reportedly lasting almost 11 hours, that there wasa “mutual consensus to disengage”.
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He added that ways to reduce frictions in the Ladakh region opposite Tibet”were discussed and will be taken forward by both the sides”.
The source gave no further details, but the clashes followed an earlieragreement to disengage struck in early June after weeks of rising tensionsthat included several brawls.
The June 15 violence took place around 4,500 metres (15,000 feet) above sealevel in the Galwan valley, where both sides accuse each other ofencroaching on their respective territory.
China has said it suffered casualties but has not given more details.Indian media reports suggested there were more than 40 casualties on theChinese side.
The meeting between military commanders came ahead of virtual talks betweenthe foreign ministers of India, China and Russia later Tuesday, ostensiblyto discuss the coronavirus. -APP/AFP
