The Chinese Defence Ministry has rejected a charge that there was no “progress” at the 21st Corp Commander-level talks on 19 February, emphasising that the current border situation was generally stable.
“The above statement is not true," Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, told a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday evening.
The Chinese official was responding to a question from a journalist that "the new round of China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting did not make any progress” in resolving the military standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
"The current border situation between China and India is generally stable, and the two sides are maintaining effective communication through diplomatic and military channels," Zhang said, according to an official transcript.
He said that the two countries had a "positive, in-depth and constructive communication on resolving the border issues of each other's concern and agreed to reach a mutually acceptable solution at an early date".
“China attaches great importance to the China-India military-to-military relations and hopes that India and China will work towards the same goal, enhance mutual trust, properly settle differences and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas,” stated the Chinese defence ministry spokesperson.
The remarks come almost a fortnight after the military commanders from the Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) held the border talks at the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point in the eastern Ladakh region in order to resolve the ongoing standoff at two friction points- Demchok and Despang.
The previous 20 rounds of commander-level talks between the two militaries since 2020 have resulted in the resolution of standoffs at Galwan Valley, Pangong-Tso Lake and the Gogra-Hot Springs areas.
India Seeks De-escalation, Disengagement of Troops
A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) after the 21st round of Corp Commander-level talks noted that a "complete disengagement in the remaining areas along the LAC" remained an "essential basis for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas."
"The two sides have agreed to maintain communication on the way ahead through the relevant military and diplomatic mechanisms. They also committed to maintaining peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in the interim," the Indian statement said.
A Chinese Defence Ministry statement after the talks said that both sides agreed to "reach a mutually acceptable solution at an early date, so as to turn over a new leaf for the border situation."