Army commanders of India and China held talks on Saturday in their first major attempt to resolve the month-long border standoff in Eastern Ladakh. The talks were held at the Border Personnel Meeting Point in Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), opposite the Chushul sector of Eastern Ladakh.

According to sources, in the three-hour-long meeting, India sought restoration of status quo as on April 2020 end, before the faceoff at Pangong Lake triggered an escalation in Ladakh leading to a massive build-up by both sides in Ladakh. Sources said India also asked China to reduce their mobilisation near the Galwan valley and that the troops must be sent to their original location.

Meanwhile, the Chinese side headed by Major General Liu Lin, who is the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), asked India to stop its road construction, sources said. However, India defended its stand saying that the construction is taking place inside the LAC, therefore there is no reason for China to object the roadwork.

The Indian delegation which included a brigadier operation and two Chinese interpreters, led by 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh were on their way back to Leh, Army sources said.

The officials will now brief the Army top brass including Northern Army Commander Lt General YK Joshi, Director Military Operation and Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane about the details of the discussions and the progress made during the talks. Following which, the Army brass from the Directorate General of Military Operations will coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and other government officials dealing with the issue and submit a detailed report.

While there was no official statement on the deliberations and what transpired an Indian Army spokesperson earlier in the day said, “Indian and Chinese officials continue to remain engaged through the established military and diplomatic channels to address the current situation.”

It’s likely that more rounds of meetings at various levels will continue to end the deadlock. The Indian agenda for the meet was to ensure restoration of the status quo to what it was in April.