India, China hold fresh round of talks on complete disengagement along LAC with no breakthrough; Details inside-
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New Delhi, Mar 28: After almost four months, India and China held another round of talks in Beijing on the stand-off in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with no signs of breakthrough, however, agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels.
The 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on Wednesday in the Chinese capital, Beijing. The Indian delegation for the 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was led by the Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs. Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.
"The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. After the meeting, both sides agreed to open diplomatic and military channels open to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas.
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"In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols," Ministry said.
Notably, the Galwan Valley along LAC in eastern Ladakh witnessed a violent clash between Indian troops and Chinese troops straining relations between both the countries. The clash resulted in casualties on both sides, including fatalities, marking the most serious escalation in the border dispute between the two countries in decades.
Since the clash, both sides have deployed additional troops and military equipment in the region and also prompted diplomatic and military-level talks between the two countries. Despite four rounds of disengagement from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15), the Indian and Chinese armies still have tens of thousands of troops each and advanced weaponry deployed in the Ladakh theatre. Depsang and Demchok are still on the negotiating table.