India, China Hold 'Constructive And Forward-Looking' Border Talks Days After Jaishankar-Wang Meeting In Laos

India and China on Wednesday (31 July) held “constructive” and “forward-looking” talks aimed at resolving the prolonged border standoff between the two countries.

The India-China border talks were held less than a week after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of an ASEAN meet in Vientiane, Laos.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are “essential basis” for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations.

The bilateral meeting was held in Delhi under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

The MEA described the discussion at the meeting as “in-depth, constructive and forward-looking”, adding both sides agreed on the need to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements and protocols.

The Indian delegation was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia), from the Ministry of External Affairs led the Indian delegation while the Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hong also called on Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, according to the MEA.

“Further to discussions between the two foreign ministers in their recent meetings at Astana and Vientiane, the two sides reviewed the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with a view to finding an early resolution of the outstanding issues,” the ministry said.

“Restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are an essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” it said.

“They agreed on the need to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments,” it said in a statement.

“The discussion at the meeting was in-depth, constructive and forward-looking. Both sides agreed to maintain the momentum through the established diplomatic and military channels,” it said.

On 25 July, Jaishankar and Wang held discussions in Vientiane during ASEAN-related meetings, following their bilateral meeting in Astana on 4 July during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

India and China have been embroiled in a border standoff for over four years, with more than 50,000 troops positioned on either side of the border.

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