India, China Review situation Along LAC, Boundary Delimitation
At the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC), both sides agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander‑level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC
New Delhi: Amid buzz of a fresh Chinese incursion and stand-off in Taksing circle of Arunachal Pradesh, India and China held their 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC). During the talks the two sides reviewed the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and deliberated on key issues related to boundary delimitation, border management and trans-border cooperation.
The Indian government said the two sides engaged in frank discussions and it was underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.
The Indian delegation was led by Mr Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs and the Chinese delegation led by Ms. Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
During the talks, both sides agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander‑level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC.
“As a follow up to the outcomes of 24th SR Talks, two sides held detailed exchanges on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism‑building and trans‑border cooperation. The Indian side reiterated the need for early convening of the next meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans‑border rivers and emphasized the importance of sharing technical details on upstream projects,” Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Friday.
The talks came at a time when a video on social media went viral claiming fresh standoff between the armies of India and China in Arunachal Pradesh due 60km intrusion by the Chinese army. The video shows that an Indian army commander objected to the high presence of Chinese army men in the region while saying that the Indian side had only 20. The Chinese were heard saying that they also had 20 men on ground to which the Indian army commander said that initially there were 43 Chinese troops. Arunachal chief minister Mr Pema Khandu, however, termed these videos as false, stating that the Indian Army firmly controls and monitors the territory.