Major General-level talks between India, China remain inconclusive

Talks between the Major Generals of India and China over the violent clash between their troops at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh had remained inconclusive, reports said.

“Talks between Major Generals of India and China in the Galwan Valley are over. The talks have remained inconclusive as no immediate disengagement or change in the ground has taken place,” sources told news agency ANI.

More talks will take place in the coming days, they said.

Earlier, the foreign ministers of both the countries held a telephonic conversation over the issue and agreed to "cool down" tensions on the ground "as soon as possible". External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the premeditated action from the Chinese side was responsible for violence and casualties in the region.

The Indian Army on Tuesday said 20 soldiers, including a colonel, were killed in a violent clash with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley on Monday night, in the biggest military confrontation between the two armies in over five decades. According to unconfirmed reports, the Chinese side, too, suffered over 40 casualties.

According to a foreign ministry statement, Jaishankar has conveyed to his Chinese counterpart India's protest “in strongest terms” on the violent face-off in Galwan.

New Delhi also warned Beijing that the unprecedented development at Galwan Valley would have serious impact on the bilateral relationship. 

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday evening met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the situation on the border.

A large number of Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation in Galwan Valley and certain other areas of eastern Ladakh for last five weeks.

The Indian and Chinese armies are engaged in the standoff in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh.

A sizeable number of Chinese Army personnel even transgressed into the Indian side of the de-facto border in several areas including Pangong Tso. The Indian Army has been fiercely objecting to the Chinese transgressions, and demanded their immediate withdrawal for restoration of peace and tranquility in the area.

Both sides held a series of talks in the last few days to resolve the row.  On Saturday, Gen Naravane said both sides are "disengaging" in a phased manner.

Following the standoff in eastern Ladakh, the two sides have deployed additional troops along the LAC, the de-facto Sino-India border, in North Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh in the last few days.