India and China released a joint statement on September 22 stating that the two countries have decided to stop sending more troops to the frontline in eastern Ladakh. The statement came soon after mediation talks between India and China at the Corps Commander level on Monday.
The joint statement stated that both sides will enhance communication to avoid misunderstandings and also implement the five-point consensus reached by foreign ministers S Jaishankar and Wang Yi at the sidelines of the SCO summit in Moscow earlier this month.
‘On September 21, the Indian and Chinese Senior Commanders held the 6th round, They agreed to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen communication on the ground, avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments, stop sending more troops to the frontline, refrain from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground, and avoid taking any actions that may complicate the situation,’ the statement read.
According to the statement, India and China will soon hold the 7th round of Corps Commander-level talks to dissolve tensions at the border in Ladakh.
‘The two sides also agreed to hold the 7th round of Military Commander-Level Meeting as soon as possible, take practical measures to properly solve problems on the ground, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity in the border area,’ read the statement.
The India-China joint statement came hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and said that ‘China has no intentions to start a cold or hot war with any country.’
During his address, Xi Jinping said that ‘it was natural for countries to have differences, but they should address them through dialogue.’
‘We will continue to narrow differences and resolve disputes with others through dialogue and negotiation. We will not seek to develop only ourselves or engage in a zero-sum game,’ Xi Jinping said.
During the sixth round of military talks between India and China that lasted 14 hours, the two sides focused on ways to defuse rising tensions along the high-altitude friction points in eastern Ladakh considering the nearing harsh winter.
India raised the issue of immediate disengagement in Pangong Tso finger areas, Hot Springs and Depsang. While, China, on the other hand, asked India to vacate the unmanned mountain tops it has occupied in the last few days.
The two sides also discussed the harsh winters in Ladakh starting October when temperatures dip up to minus 25 degrees and oxygen becomes scarce.
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