New Delhi & Beijing to hold more talks to de-escalate Himalayan standoff

Indian and Chinese diplomats were set for more talks on Friday to narrow differences on ways to pull back troops in a disputed border in the western Himalayas. The June 15 fighting in the Galwan Valley of India’s Ladakh region left 20 Indian soldiers dead.

Since then the two sides have held several rounds of talks to restore calm, and reduced the number of troops in the valley, while still pouring reinforcements into the region.

Diplomats were expected to hold new talks through a virtual meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs on Friday, Reuters said, citing a government source in New Delhi.

The de facto border, the Line of Actual Control (LAC), was established after a war in 1962. It remains poorly defined, and there have been sporadic flare-ups over the decades, without leading to cross-border firing.