India, China hold diplomatic talks in person in Delhi, discuss LAC situation

New Delhi: India and China on Wednesday held diplomatic talks in person and discussed proposals to disengage in an ‘open and open manner’ in the remaining friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Both sides also agreed to hold the 19th round of high-level military talks at the earliest to achieve the objective of restoring peace and tranquility in the border areas. Both countries agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels.

The LAC situation was discussed during the 27th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held in New Delhi. While the Indian delegation was led by the Joint Secretary (East Asia) of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Chinese side was led by the Director General of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The last meeting of the WMCC was held in Beijing on 22 February.

“Both sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border areas and discussed proposals for withdrawal in the remaining areas in an open and frank manner. Restoration of peace and tranquility will create conditions for normalization of bilateral relations. Will do,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a standoff for more than three years at some friction points in eastern Ladakh, even as both sides have completed disengagement from several areas after extensive diplomatic and military talks.

The standoff on the eastern Ladakh border started on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area. Relations between the two countries took a nosedive after the fierce clashes in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, which marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.

Earlier this year on April 13, India-China also held the 18th round of high-level military talks and agreed to remain in close contact and find a mutually acceptable solution to the outstanding issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

A few days later, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu visited India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting. On the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Li for about 45 minutes.

In the talks, Singh told his Chinese counterpart that China’s violation of existing boundary agreements has destroyed the entire basis of relations between the two countries and all boundary-related issues should be resolved as per the existing agreements.

On May 4, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang the importance of resolving the eastern Ladakh border row and ensuring peace along the LAC for the development of bilateral relations.