India and China have held their first diplomatic talks since withdrawing troops from two face-off points in eastern Ladakh, reflecting on the lessons learned from the border row to prevent future incidents.
IMAGE: Then Army chief General Manoj Pande meets with all ranks including troops of IAF, ITBP and BRO during his visit to the forward areas along the Line of Actual Control to review the operational preparedness, May 12, 2024.Photograph: ANI Photo
At the meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs in New Delhi, the two sides agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas in line with bilateral pacts and protocols.
The two sides also prepared for the next meeting of the Special Representatives on the boundary question.
“The two sides positively affirmed the implementation of the most recent disengagement agreement which completed the resolution of the issues that emerged in 2020,” the ministry of external affairs said.
The eastern Ladakh military standoff between India and China began in May 2020 and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.
The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalized on October 21.
Two days after the pact was firmed up, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the sidelines of the Brics Summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
In the meeting, the two sides agreed to revive several dialogue mechanisms including the Special Representatives dialogue on boundary questions.
India’s Special Representative for the dialogue is NSA Ajit Doval while the Chinese side is headed at the talks by Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
“They also prepared for the next meeting of the Special Representatives, which is to be held in accordance with the decision of the two leaders in their meeting in Kazan on October 23,” the MEA said on the WMCC talks.
It said, “Both sides reviewed the situation in border areas, and reflected on the lessons learnt from the events of 2020 in order to prevent their recurrence.”
“In this context, they highlighted the importance of regular exchanges and contacts at diplomatic and military level through established mechanisms.”
“They agreed on the need for effective border management and maintenance of peace and tranquillity in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments,” the MEA added.
The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA.
The Chinese team was headed by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department at the Chinese foreign ministry.
Hong also called on Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
