After Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's Firm Message On Ladakh Situation, China's Reply

India-China Standpff in Ladakh: While China moved its troops from Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, the disengagement has not been completed from other friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh.

With India firmly conveying to China that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a "negative manner", Beijing said today that it is ready to seek a "mutually acceptable solution" to the issues that require "urgent treatment" through negotiation. During their hour-long in-person meeting on the sidelines of an SCO conclave in Dushanbe on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also told his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was "not acceptable" to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh. The meeting in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe took place amidst a stalemate in the disengagement process between the two militaries in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh after they withdrew troops and weapons from the Pangong Lake areas in February following series of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the standoff since May last year. In a statement posted on its website today on Mr Wang's talks with Mr Jaishankar, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, the minister stated that India-China relations remained at a low point while the situation at the LAC has generally been easing after the withdrawal of troops from the Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake.