Talks between Indian and Chinese diplomats have opened options for the rivals to resolve conflict on their Himalayan frontier, India's army chief said yesterday.

Ties between the neighbours have been strained since clashes between their troops on the frontier left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead in 2020.

Diplomatic and military talks to end the standoff have made slow progress and hurt business relations between the world's two most populous nations with New Delhi tightening scrutiny of investments from Chinese firms and halting major projects.

"The positive signalling is coming from the diplomatic side," General Upendra Dwivedi said at a defence think tank event. "But when it comes to the execution on ground ... it's dependent on the military commanders on both the sides to take those decisions."