Achi news desk-
New Delhi – Amid an ongoing border row in eastern Ladakh, top diplomats from India and China held a fresh round of talks and both sides agreed to “maintain regular contact” through diplomatic and military channels, with no sign of any breakthrough.
The two sides had a detailed exchange of views on how to achieve “complete disengagement” and resolve outstanding issues along the Line of Actual Control during the 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Issues (WMCC). , the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
The key meeting was held in Beijing on March 27, he said in a statement.
Joint Secretary (East Asia) of the MEA led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by the Director General of the Border and Maritime Department of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement said.
“Meanwhile, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to maintain peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas through existing bilateral agreements and protocols,” he said.
Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday, “Both sides positively evaluated the progress made in managing and managing the situation in the China-India border area, and exchanged honest and detailed views. on work ideas for the next step.”
The two sides agreed “to focus on the relevant issues on the ground along the border, find a mutually acceptable solution as soon as possible, and promote the transition of the border situation to a period of command and control normal,” he said. .
The 28th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Issues was held on November 30 last year.
The Director General of the Department of Border and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hong Liang, and the Joint Secretary of the East Asia Department of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Gourangalal Das, co-chaired the 29th meeting, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in the statement.
Representatives from the departments of foreign affairs, defence, immigration and other departments of the two countries were present at the meeting, he said.
“Both sides agreed to continue to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels, improve the mechanism for negotiation and consultation, and hold a new round of talks at the corps commander level early.
“Both sides agreed to adhere strictly to the agreements and guiding principles of the relevant common understanding reached between the two sides, avoid flare-ups in the situation on the ground, and continue to consolidate the previous disengagement results, in an attempt to safeguard . peace and tranquility in the border area,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in the statement.
Ladakh’s eastern border conflict erupted on May 5, 2020, following violent clashes in the Pangong Lake area.
Relations between the two countries plunged significantly following the conflict in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 which marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides for decades.
At an event in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on March 11 that India remains committed to finding a “fair and reasonable outcome” on this issue but one that respects agreements and recognizes the True Command Line.
“I believe it is in our common interest that we should not have so many forces on the Line of Actual Control. I think it is in our common interest that we stick to the agreements we have signed. And, I think it’s not just in common interest, I think it’s in China’s interest as well. This tension that we have seen over the last four years has not served either of us well,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
