India and China reviewed the overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and held discussions on key issues related to boundary delimitation, border management and trans-border cooperation during diplomatic talks in New Delhi, MEA said on Friday.
“The two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the LAC,” the MEA said in a statement.
Both sides emphasised that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. They also agreed to continue utilising existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations along the LAC.
As a follow-up to the outcomes of the previous round of Special Representatives talks, India and China held detailed exchanges on matters related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism-building and trans-border cooperation, the MEA said.
The Indian side also reiterated the need for an early convening of the next meeting of the expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers. It further stressed the importance of sharing technical details regarding upstream projects.
The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was headed by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department at China’s foreign ministry.
