Rajanth Singh, Bipin Rawat, Ajit Doval and three Army Service Chiefs to discuss India-China border issue today

• India’s top defence brass is meeting today to discuss the rising tensions along the India-China border.
• The meeting will be between India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and three Indian Army Service chiefs.
• The meeting comes after Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Moscow and expressed his concern against the heavy troop deployment in Ladakh.

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is going to host a meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, and three Indian Army Service Chiefs at 11:00 am today to discuss the rising tension along the border between India and China in Eastern Ladakh.

Yesterday, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Moscow, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. The two sides agreed on a 5-point plan to resolve the face-off in Ladakh, which has been going on for four months now.


“The two Foreign Ministers agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side,” said the joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Arguing that the deployments had created "flash points" along the LAC, Jaishankar told his counterpart that the presence of such large concentration of troops was not in accordance with the 1993 and 1996 agreements.

"The Chinese side has not provided a credible explanation for this deployment. The provocative behaviour of Chinese frontline troops at numerous incidents of friction along the LAC also showed disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols," Jaishankar told Wang.

Armies on both sides are trying to take over the ridgelines — referred to as the ‘Finger Area’ — that outline the disputed border between China and India.


According to News18, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has increased its build up over troops along Finger 4 in the past 48 hours. The Indian Army has responded with their own uptake in soldiers along the Finger 3 ridgeline.


Less than a month ago, CDS Rawat told the press that India is ‘military options’ against China should things not de-escalate.

(With inputs from IANS)

SEE ALSO:
India-China border tensions are a part of "mind games" ahead of the meeting between the two foreign ministers, says former diplomat

India says the army 'thwarted' China's 'proactive military movement' to change status quo along Ladakh border

China wants India to stay in its lane — three reasons why China is puffing its chest, according to a former diplomat