Chinese President Xi Jinping meets troops linked to Ladakh standoff

PTI

Beijing, July 16

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who made a rare visit this week to the restive Xinjiang region which borders Ladakh, met troops and officers stationed there and praised their “outstanding contributions” to the border defence and stabilisation of the volatile province.

Xi, who heads the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military, met the representatives of the officers and soldiers stationed in Xinjiang in the provincial capital Urumqi on Friday.

Xi, who visited the border province from July 12 to 15 where his government is widely accused of oppressing predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities, extended greetings to all the commanders and fighters of the troops stationed in the province and fully affirmed the "outstanding contributions” made by the troops stationed in the region, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

His meeting with the troops is significant as the Xinjiang Military Command of the People's Liberation Amy (PLA) oversees the India-China border in the Ladakh region amid a military standoff between the two sides since May 2020. Also, his meeting with troops in Xinjiang took place ahead of the 16th round of military talks between India and China to be held on Sunday. India has been pressing for quick disengagement of troops from all the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh, insisting that peace along the border are prerequisites for progress in overall bilateral ties.