Indian and Chinese troops at Moldo garrison, near LAC in China, before their meeting for talks on the border. (File photo for representation.)
New Delhi: India and China convened the 30th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), on Wednesday with the aim of resolving the ongoing border dispute and improving bilateral relations between the two countries. During the daylong meeting, the two sides discussed at length on how to ease tensions along the line of actual control (LAC) at the earliest, especially the stand-off between the Indian Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army in eastern Ladakh.
However, they could not achieve any breakthrough to end the stand-off during the meeting.
While the exact agenda of the talks remains undisclosed, it is widely anticipated that the focus was on achieving complete disengagement of troops from the remaining friction points and restoring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Indian officials described the discussions as constructive, with both parties reaffirming their commitment to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols.
In the interim, India and China agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels. This approach aims to prevent any escalation of tensions and ensure that both sides adhere to the agreements reached during previous meetings.
It may be mentioned that previous rounds of WMCC meetings have yielded mixed results. While both sides have consistently emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability, tangible progress towards a comprehensive resolution of the border dispute has been elusive.
India has maintained that ties between the two countries will improve only if China pulls back its troops from Indian territory in eastern Ladakh and restores the pre-May 2020 status of the LAC.
Apart from the WMCC meetings, the Indian and Chinese armies also held 21 rounds of corps commander-level talks to resolve the stand-off in eastern Ladakh. Those talks too have yielded no tangible result, although both sides agreed to maintain peace along LAC and keep talking to arrive at a mutually agreeable point to resolve the issue.
The WMCC was set up following an agreement between India and China in January 2012, with the objective of institutionalizing information exchange on border-related matters. The mechanism was first proposed by the-then Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, in 2010 and finalized during the 15th round of special representative talks.
