India, China fail to break impasse over Ladakh incursion

NEW DELHI: A border dispute between India and China appeared likely to escalate as a second flag meeting in less than a week ended without result with China refusing to accept that it has intruded into India's territory. India has asked China to withdraw troops and maintain the status quo prior to the incursion.

A platoon of the Chinese Army (People's Liberation Army) entered 10 kms into what India considers its territory in the Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector in eastern Ladakh on 15 April and erected a temporary post.

Troops of the Indo Tibetan Border Police have set up a post about 300 metres away and the two sides are now in a so-called "face-to-face" situation. A flag meeting was held on the morning of 16 April and India's foreign secretary summoned the Chinese ambassador in the evening on the same day.

A second flag meeting ended inconclusively on Tuesday, even as India's external affairs ministry expressed hope that the issue will be resolved peacefully.

"We see this as a face-toface situation between border personnel of the two sides due to differences on the alignment of the Line of Actual Control. We have, therefore, asked the Chinese side to maintain status quo in this sector, and by status quo I mean status quo prior to this incident," external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. DBO, located in northernmost Ladakh, is located on an ancient trade route connecting Ladakh to Yarkand in Xinjiang, China.

"Now, the ongoing incident in the Depsang area of the Western Sector of the India-China Boundary is a localized event. This is a sector in which there are differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control," Akbaruddin said.