After Rajnath, Jaishankar to meet his Chinese counterpart in Moscow, to discuss Ladhak disengagement

New Delhi: In the latest development in the India-China standoff over the Ladakh border dispute, Chinese State Councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi confirmed his arrival in Moscow on Wednesday evening for the bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss ways and means to resolve the present Ladakh standoff.
The bilateral meeting is scheduled for September 10 amid border tensions between both countries. The two leaders are meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial hosted by the Russian Federation. The time of the meeting is being finalised.
The much-awaited meeting of foreign ministers is expected to record a forward movement towards complete disengagement and de-escalation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with the Indian side insistent upon China to follow bilateral agreements and protocols since 1993.
India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will arrive in Moscow on Tuesday evening with desk officers of the China division and Foreign minister Wang will reach the next day to discuss the border escalation in Ladakh.
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Although Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Chinese counterpart on Septemeber 4 at the same platform, the meeting did not bring any positive results. In fact, the Chinese Defence Ministry claimed that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was told by his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe during their meeting in Moscow that “responsibility (recent events in Ladakh) lies entirely with India.”
The Chinese Defence Ministry went on to suggest that Wei Fenghe told the Indian delegation led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that relations between the two countries and the two militaries have been severely affected by the border issue. The cause and truth of current tension on the border between China and India are very clear, and the responsibility lies entirely with India.
The Meeting between S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart is of high importance and the India EAM will remind his Chinese counterpart to implement the past bilateral agreements in letter and spirit including keeping minimum forces along the 3488km LAC. He will also demand that PLA forces restore the status quo ante at Gogra-Hot Springs, Finger 4 relief feature on the north bank of Pangong Tso.