New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) India and China held discussions on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism‑building and trans‑border cooperation.
The discussions were held during the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India‑China Border Affairs (WMCC) in New Delhi on August 6, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday.
“The two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Further, it was underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” said the MEA.
Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), MEA, led the Indian delegation while the Chinese delegation was led by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, the officials of the two nations 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 MEA stated.
The Indian side reiterated the need for early convening of the next meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans‑border rivers and stressed the importance of sharing technical details on upstream projects.
Earlier on August 4, the MEA said that India and China have taken several steps to improve ties between the people of both nations, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the re-establishment of civil aviation connectivity.
Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed confidence that these measures will further strengthen the positive ties between India and China.
“Discussions between the two countries are ongoing, and the talks are moving in a positive direction. Several steps have been taken to improve relations between the people of both countries. You may have seen the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Civil aviation connectivity has also been re-established between the two countries, along with many other such measures. We believe these steps will further strengthen the positive relationship between the two countries,” said Jaiswal.
The MEA spokesperson was responding to a question on concerns raised by the Indian diaspora regarding the rise in abusive content against Indians and Indian culture on Chinese social media platforms. Members of the Indian community had reportedly highlighted the issue during an ‘open forum’ hosted by the Indian Embassy in Beijing.
–IANS
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