The Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector in a speedy manner through continued dialogue during the 19th round of military talks held on August 13-14, a joint statement said on Tuesday.

“They agreed to resolve the remaining issues in an expeditious manner and maintain the momentum of dialogue and negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. In the interim, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas,” the statement said.

This was the first time the military talks were held over two days. The 19th round of India- China corps commander-level meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border point on the Indian side.

The two sides had a positive, constructive and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC in the western sector, the statement said. “In line with the guidance provided by the leadership, they exchanged views in an open and forward looking manner,” it added.

The brief statement did not indicate any immediate breakthrough.

The two sides have been locked in a standoff in the Ladakh sector for more than three years. The latest round of corps commander-level talks took place almost four months after the 18th round of military dialogue was held on April 23.

Those talks did not yield any significant breakthrough, with the sides agreeing to stay in close contact, maintain a dialogue through military and diplomatic channels, and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

Despite four rounds of disengagement from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have tens of thousands of troops and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre.

The last round of disengagement from PP-15 took place in September 2022, with the breakthrough coming after the 16th round of military talks in July 2022 to cool tensions in the sensitive sector.

Problems at Depsang in Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table.

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The 19th round of talks took place in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (Brics) Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg on August 22-24.

The possibility of a meeting between Modi and Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit has not been ruled out, people aware of the matter said. Also, the Chinese leader is expected to be in New Delhi for the G20 summit in September, though no confirmation has been forthcoming yet.

In July, India said Modi and Xi discussed the need to stabilise bilateral ties at a brief encounter on the margins of last year’s G20 Summit in Indonesia, a shift from an earlier characterisation of the interaction as merely an exchange of courtesies.