India, China hold 30th round of border talks
‘Restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are an essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,’ the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement
Tabletop miniature flags for India and China at a meeting table for diplomatic discussions and negotiations.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
India and China on Wednesday held the 30th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) in New Delhi during which the discussion was “in-depth, constructive and forward-looking”, and both sides agreed to maintain the momentum through established diplomatic and military channels, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The talks come amid indications that the two countries are making efforts to resolve the stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
“Further to discussions between the two Foreign Ministers in their recent meetings at Astana [in Kazakhstan] and Vientiane [in Laos], the two sides reviewed the current situation along the LAC with a view to finding an early resolution of the outstanding issues. Restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are an essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the MEA said in a statement. The 29th WMCC meeting was held on March 24 in Beijing.
Both sides agreed on the need to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas in accordance with bilateral agreements and protocols reached between the two governments, the statement added.
Jaishankar meets China’s Wang Yi, says LAC must be respected
The two countries have been holding Corps Commander levels and the WMCC talks at the military and diplomatic levels as part of efforts to resolve the stand-off along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The 21st round of Corps Commander talks were held in February though it did not reach a breakthrough towards disengagement in the two remaining friction areas.
Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia), led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The leader of the Chinese delegation also called on the Foreign Secretary.
In an indication that the two countries were fast-tracking their efforts to resolve the standoff in eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who met twice this month on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kazakhstan, and again last week at Vientiane, highlighted the need to resolve the four-year-old military stand-off at the LAC with “purpose and urgency”.
“Their talks focussed on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations,” the MEA had said in a statement issued after the talks were held on July 25.
This also comes amid speculation that the government is considering relaxing some of its economic restrictions on Chinese companies following the recommendations of the latest Economic Survey, which called for more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China.
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