Sources in the defence ministry on Friday said India had asked the Chinese army to hold the 18th round of military talks at an early date to resolve the border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

“India has asked China to hold the next round of corps commander-level talks at an early date. We are hopeful that the dialogue will take place later this month,” said a defence ministry official.

Foreign minister S. Jaishankar in his first meeting with his new Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on Thursday raised the “abnormal” state of affairs in Ladakh on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi.

The 17th round of military talks since the standoff began in May 2020 was held on December 20 last year. There was no breakthrough as the two sides only committed themselves to further talks to find an end to the standoff.

So far there has been “partial” Chinese disengagement from the Galwan Valley, Pangong Lake, Hot Springs and Gogra, but at the price of Indian troops retreating inside Indian territory by an equal distance to create demilitarised “buffer zones”.

The Chinese are remaining within India-claimed lines at these places while the Narendra Modi government faces accusations of capitulating and handing the Chinese more territory on a platter.

The Chinese army is said to have refused to disengage from the strategic Depsang Plains where it is estimated to be entrenched 18km inside India-claimed lines.