India and China reaffirm the use of diplomatic and military channels to resolve outstanding border issues, maintain peace along the LAC and strengthen conditions for stable bilateral relations.
India and China have reiterated their willingness to work on settling their unresolved border disputes by using the current diplomatic and military means of communication, emphasising that it is important to ensure peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as the base for developing further relations between the two countries. This understanding has been arrived at during the 36th meeting of the WMCC on India-China Border Affairs in New Delhi.
As per MEA, representatives of both the countries conducted “frank and constructive” talks and examined the situation on the ground and how well the previous agreements were being implemented. It was decided that both the countries would continue to rely on the existing diplomatic and military channels to resolve any pending issues.
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Discussions centered on ensuring that peace and calm prevailed in the border regions, and both sides agreed that maintaining peace in the border region was important for the larger relationship between India and China. The officials discussed issues related to demarcation of the border, border management, coordination mechanisms, and trans-border cooperation.
The representatives also shared their opinions about ways of improving communications between border troops and confidence-building measures in place. Military and diplomatic channels of communication will serve to make sure that consultations are conducted on time and no misunderstandings take place.
The WMCC, formed in 2012, is the chief institution responsible for consultations and cooperation related to border matters between India and China. This forum includes diplomats and military personnel from both countries who come together to sort out operational issues and facilitate the sharing of information in order to ensure peace until the issue of the boundary is sorted out.
In this regard, the most recent talks are indicative of sustained attempts made by both New Delhi and Beijing to stabilise relations between the two countries after several years of border disputes. The recent rounds of talks have been centred on communication and disengagement agreements wherever necessary.
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It is in this context that the recent discussions reflect efforts by both India and China to normalise their relationship after several years of border disputes. In these recent rounds of discussion, the focus was on communication and disengagement agreements wherever required.
Both sides came out of the discussion in agreement on the need to maintain regular dialogues via diplomatic and military contacts and to ensure the continued pursuit of resolution of pending issues. India and China aim at maintaining stability on the LAC border by enhancing dialogue and confidence-building mechanisms to create an enabling atmosphere for the development of bilateral relations.