India, China Hold Another Round Of Peace Talks On Border Standoff: No Breakthrough Achieved

India China held 31st round Of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) talks on Thursday (29 August) in Beijing to address the four-year long standoff between Indian and Chinese Army along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

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

Both sides engaged in a frank and constructive dialogue, focusing on narrowing differences and seeking early resolution of outstanding issues along the LAC.

However, no substantial headway was made to resolve the standoff at LAC.

The talks followed recent meetings between the two foreign ministers in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024, where it was agreed to accelerate discussions and build on the progress made in previous WMCC meetings.

The two sides agreed to maintain intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels to manage the situation and uphold peace and tranquillity in the border areas, as per the bilateral agreements and protocols in place.

The meeting underscored the importance of restoring peace and respecting the LAC to normalize broader bilateral relations between India and China.

Joint Secretary Gourangalal Das also met separately with the Vice Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasizing the need for continued dialogue at multiple levels.

Thursday's meeting marked a continued effort towards achieving lasting peace and stability along the disputed border, which has remained tense since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, where twenty Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops died, escalating tensions between the two nations.