After a gap of over three months, India and China on Wednesday are holding another round of high-level military talks to resolve the 20-month-long military standoff in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh, sources in the security establishment said.
At an online media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava gave a run down of the events along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region and held China responsible for the Galwan Valley clashes off June 15.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India's stance on the Depsang and Demchok areas in Ladakh, stating that Indian security forces will patrol up to the historical limits. He also firmly rejected Nepal's alleged territorial claims, asserting that India's position on the border is clear and will not be altered. Jaishankar also addressed the situation in Myanmar and India's 'Neighborhood First' policy, highlighting the government's commitment to regional cooperation and development.
The NDRF has deployed its first-ever team of cadaver dogs to help locate those feared dead in the cloudburst incident in Uttarakhand. Disaster swept through the Himalayan village of Dharali on the way to Gangotri on Tuesday with a massive cloudburst leading to flash floods that barrelled through homes, trees, and cars, trapping 60-70 people and leaving at least four dead.
The talks took place over video call on Sunday. According to sources, talks were held for over two hours in a cordial and forward-looking manner.
During a special briefing in Tianjin, Misri confirmed that the prime minister will first address the SCO plenary session before meeting President Putin.
'He is the same man who has won honours for the country across the world.'
The MEA said it was the Chinese side that recently undertakook activities hindering India's normal patrols in the areas.
RInstead of disengagement, the Indian and Chinese armies have deployed an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 soldiers each along the LAC. The PLA has deployed S-400 air defence missiles to neutralise the IAF's advantage in air power
The project, the agreement for which was signed way back in 2009, had been gaining strategic relevance over the years as India-China ties took a hit.
Wang also condemned the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which had cross-border linkages and triggered the worst fighting between India and Pakistan in years.
DeepSeek is a case in point on how economic interdependence between nations are utilised for geopolitical ambitions and global domination efforts, observes China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
Officials said that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has started the work on cutting the road from KMVN Huts in Nabhidhang in Pithoragarh district to Lipulekh pass on the India-China border, which will be completed by September.
The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that China has made a huge build-up in the Tibet region and the Army needs broader roads to move heavy vehicles up to the India-China border to avoid a 1962 war-like situation.
'They have done in Eastern Ladakh what we did in Dokalam in 2017.'
China on Monday criticised Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it violated Chinese sovereignty over the area, a claim outrightly dismissed by India.
A day after the Chinese government pushed for settlement of the vexed boundary issue at "an early date", India on Tuesday responded by saying that it should be pursued as a "strategic objective" by the two countries.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury aid that India must tackle Chinese aggression using all necessary means.
Lt Gen Kalita also stated that the Army is constantly monitoring the activities across the border and is well prepared to meet any emerging challenges.
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan gave a brief account of the four-month-long standoff and said the Chinese side attempted to transgress the Line of Actual in several areas of the western sector since mid-May.
China on Thursday said the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia's Kazan on Wednesday carries a "great significance" as they reached an "important common understandings" to improve the bilateral ties.
In Arunachal Pradesh, 10 people have killed in landslides and floods related incidents as incessant monsoon rains lashed the state.
The Indian Army is looking at deploying over 350 light tanks, mostly in the mountainous border areas.
The discussions took place on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
China on Monday said it has 'fully considered' the impact of the three dams it plans to be 1built on Brahmaputra river in Tibet and claimed the projects will not affect water flows to India.
The sources said there was clear sign of withdrawal of structures and troops from the patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley and that they are likely to move back more than a kilometre in the area.
United States President Donald Trump said that the US is trying to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, which is currently under the control of the Taliban government after the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
The matter has now been escalated and the ministry has written to Customs, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to investigate it thoroughly.
The Centre on Wednesday washed its hands off the decision to stop work along the Sino-Indian border in Jammu and Kashmir after the Chinese' protest, saying it had no role in either starting or halting the project and that it was entirely the state government's affair.
Both India and China should respect each other and resolve issues through dialogues and join hands together for peace and prosperity, Sitharaman said.
The right path for the two sides is to respect and support each other as this serves our long-term interests, Chinese foreign minister said.
After the 1962 War with China, there was a demand to forge greater defence cooperation between India and the West. One such voice was that of Sudhir Ghosh, a distinguished MP, to tie up strategic cooperation with the USA immediately after the Chinese attack on India, recalls Rup Narayan Das.
'China has thus far been cautious, emphasising its focus on development rather than weaponising water resources.'
India and China on Thursday vowed to redouble efforts to resolve the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest and 'stabilise and rebuild' ties even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a meeting that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) must be respected.
India and China will not rush to resolve differences over their contested border even as there has been steady progress in the overall relationship, said External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
Military officials said India is also strengthening its surveillance mechanism to keep an eye on Chinese activities along the borders in the strategically sensitive Tibetan region and has even been regularly deploying choppers to carry out recce.
The meeting primarily focused on implementation of certain decisions taken at the fifth round of talks between Corps Commanders of the two armies last week on the disengagement process as well as to bring down prevailing tension in the region, sources said.
The official told the reporters during a conference call on Friday, ahead of the next week's 2+2 India-US Ministerial in New Delhi, that the Trump administration was providing support to India through defence sales, joint military exercises and information sharing.
China's military on Thursday asked the Indian Army not to take any "unilateral actions" affecting the stability of the border areas, days after the Indian side removed a Chinese-built hut in the Ladakh sector.
