Ahead of India-China WMCC talks, EAM Jaishankar says Chinese 'deployment still continues'

India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that Chinese deployment along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) continues unabated while urgingBeijing to live up to its "written commitments".The comments comeas India, China preparefor the next round of "Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination" (WMCC) diplomatic talks.

At an event, Jaishankar referred to the deployment in Ladakh, saying"close up deployments still continue, especially in Ladakh. The issue is whether China will live up to the written commitments which are made about both countries not deploying a large armed force at the border."

June marked a year since the violent face off in Galwan which left 20 Indian dead in action while confrontingaggressive Chinese actions. This incident marked the first time bloodshed was witnessed at the Line of Actual Control in decades and caused the relationship between Asian giants to hit a historic low.

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Urging Chinese authorities to stick to the commitmentand calling the India-China border issue "a challenge", Jaishankar said that"the larger issue really [is]whether we can build this relationship on the basis of mutual sensitivity, mutual respect and mutual interest".

A pact made in February facilitated disengagementat the Pangong Lake areabut deescalationin other territories like Gogra andhot springs is still awaited.

The 21st meeting of the WMCC took placeonMarch 12, 2021and was followed by the 11th round of India-China Corps Commander Level meeting which happened on April 9, 2021.

During the course of these meetings, India has repeatedly called for complete disengagement but China's stance has remain largely unchanged in terms of retreating.