"Excellencies, in the area of defence, we are challenged by reckless aggression on our northern borders," he said in his opening remarks, as per the US State Department read out of the opening statements of all the dignitaries of the dialogue.

 

Welcoming US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper, he thanked them for their "personal commitment to the India-US partnership".

 

He thereafter talked about Covid-19 pandemic and how both the countries' economies have suffered losses.

 

India and China are engaged in a six-month-long standoff at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. Both the countries had seven military commander-level meetings, but the border issue remains unresolved. The de-escalation of force at the LAC during winter is highly unlikely and both the countries face the huge challenge of logistics for their troops deployed in the area.

 

Temperatures at critical mountain peaks and passes along the disputed India-China border have dropped to minus 30 Degrees Celsius, throwing up a fresh challenge to the thousands of troops amassed by both sides.

 

On August 30, India had occupied critical mountain heights, like Rechin La, Rezang La, Mukpari, and Tabletop that were unmanned till now, on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake. It had also made some deployments near Blacktop also. The movement was carried out after the Chinese tried to make a provocative military move.

 

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) had carried out a barbaric attack at patrolling point 14 in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed.

 

It was the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the PLA since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

 

China, further, has issued a statement that they don't recognize the newly-created Union Territory of Ladakh.