Editor's Pick: Intransigence at the highest levels 

(The Editor's Pick is a new newsletter from The Hindu that provides a snapshot of the most important stories from today's edition of our newspaper, along with a note from our top editors on why we chose to give prominence to these stories.)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the "amassing of troops" and their "aggressive behaviour" on the border in the Ladakh region violated bilateral agreements on the disputed territory. The Chinese side had held India responsible for the aggression. The Defence Minister responded that India had behaved responsibly. Both sides vehemently defended their territorial claims. Meanwhile, news also emerged of the Chinese PLA allegedly abducting people in Arunachal Pradesh, another sector of the LAC.

The meeting between Mr. Singh and China's General Wei Fenghe happened on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Moscow, in a bilateral session requested by the Chinese side. While both sides held fast to their positions on territory, they also agreed on the need to resolve the issue through dialogue and maintaining communication at all levels.

The Defence Ministers' meeting is the highest-level face-to-face talks since the escalation in border tensions in May. The intransigence even at this level, though with a willingness to keep talking, is what makes this story important.