China should restore status quo ante of April in Ladakh: Jaishankar to Wang Yi

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday asked China to restore the status quo ante of April 2020 on the LAC in Ladakh during a marathon meeting external affairs minister S Jaishankar had with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow. The meeting which began around 7 pm Indian time lasted till almost midnight and full details are yet to emerge.

Jaishankar is understood to have told Wang about bilateral agreements on maintaining peace and tranquility along LAC. Wang was also urged to discipline and control PLA’s frontline troops from undertaking provocative actions along LAC. It was further conveyed to China that PLA actions were in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two foreign ministers and special representatives.

Ahead of the meet in a rare commentary, China’s official news agency Xinhua blamed India for destabilising the border, but also called for early resolution to the impasse. “Realising a scenario where the dragon and the elephant dance together is the correct choice for the two countries. Only in this way can they bring more benefits to their peoples and continue to produce new glory for Asian civilizations.”