India, China agree to hold further talks on border dispute

NEW DELHI: India and China on Friday agreed for an “early and complete” disengagement of the troops from the friction points in eastern Ladakh, holding that full restoration of peace and tranquility in border areas was essential for the overall development of bilateral relations.

The two countries reviewed the situation in the region during a fresh round of online diplomatic talks under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs. The parleys took place against the backdrop of reports that the disengagement process has not moved forward as expected following the last round of marathon Corps Commander-level talks on July 14.

The Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) said the two sides agreed at the Friday talks that another meeting of their senior army commanders may be held soon to work out further steps to ensure complete disengagement “expeditiously”. “They agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquility was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations,” it said in a statement.

“The two sides agreed that another meeting of the Senior Commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation and restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas,” the MEA added.

The two sides have held several rounds of talks to restore calm and reduced the numbers of troops in the valley, while still pouring reinforcements into the region.

The de facto border, called the Line of Actual Control (LAC), was established after a war in 1962, but it remains poorly defined, and there have been sporadic flare ups over the decades, without leading to cross-border firing.