China spells out terms to India on ending border stalemate

China has demanded that India’s Army must stop the construction of a road along the undefined border between India and China as a pre-requisite to end the stand-off on the Line of Actual Control.

On its part, India has strongly objected to a bridge that the Chinese have constructed in their side of the contentious region of Chumar in Ladakh.

These views were expressed during a flag meeting of commanders of army units of the two countries based along the border, held on September 25.This meeting was requested by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China.

Reportedly, China has also asked India to stop digging of canals and even destroy those which have been constructed with funds from the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in Demchok sector of Ladakh.

However, India has refused to destroy these canals by pointing out that they are within its territory. The two countries have been engaged in a stand-off since September 10 while tensions have waxed and waned, but not ended even though China’s President Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minster Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks during the formers visit to India on September 17.

During the visit, Modi in his talks with Xi raised the issue of repeated border incursions by the PLA and called for immediate resolutions to their decades old border dispute.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is monitoring the situation along LAC on a regular basis, and India’s Army has been instructed to thwart further attempts by the Chinese to advance into India’s territory.

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