India and China on Wednesday (22) held diplomatic conversations over disengagement in remaining friction points along their Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
While the two nuclear-armed neighbours spoke over proposals in an “open and constructive manner”, there was no indication of a breakthrough, as per reports.
One of the talks’ outcomes was that the two sides agreed to hold their 18th round of military talks on an earlier date. The negotiations were held under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs.
According to a report by the Press Trust of India that cited India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA), talks at an early date would facilitate the process to achieve the objective as per the prevailing bilateral agreements and proposals.
“The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner, which would help in the restoration of peace and tranquillity along the LAC in Western Sector and create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the MEA said in a statement.
“To achieve this objective in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols, they agreed to hold the next (18th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date,” it added in a statement.
The 17th round of military talks between the two countries was held on December 20 last year. But there was no indication of any forward movement in the resolution of the remaining issues between them.
The MEA also added that the two neighbours have agreed to continue discussions through various channels, including diplomatic and military.
“The 26th meeting of the WMCC was held on 22 February 2023 in person in Beijing. This was the first WMCC meeting since the 14th meeting held in July 2019, to be held in person,” it said.
According to a joint statement released after the talks, the Indian and Chinese sides exchanged views in an “open and constructive” manner towards resolving the “relevant issues”.
It also called the talks “frank and in-depth”.
