Indian and Chinese officials meet in Beijing, seek normal bilateral ties even as border friction continues

By Anish Kumar | First Published Feb 23, 2023, 12:03 AM IST

Indian and Chinese officials discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner to restore peace and tranquillity along the LAC.

India and China on Wednesday held their 26th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) on Border Affairs in Beijing, wherein the two sides agreed to hold the 18th round of military talks at an early date.

It is pertinent to mention that it was the first WMCC meeting since the 14th meeting, held in July 2019, to be held in person. During their meeting, the diplomats from both countries reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of the India-China border areas.

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They also discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner to restore peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the region.

The two sides also agreed to create conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations. "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."

Further, they agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels.

The 17th round of the India-China Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Chinese side on December 20, 2022. The border standoff between two Himalayan giants began in May 2020, and since then, 17 rounds of talks have been held at the military level.

So far, the troops from both sides have disengaged from Pangong Tso in February 2021, from patrolling point 17 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area in August 2021 and from patrolling point 15 in early November. This is in addition to the disengagement from Galwan after the June 15, 2020, violent clash there.

India has always been pressing in to discuss the friction points like Demchok and Depsang. However, the Chinese have not accepted them and termed them as legacy issues. These are not part of the current standoff.

It must be noted that Demchok is one of the two mutually agreed disputed areas in eastern Ladakh, and Depsang is one of the eight friction points in the area. Both sides have deployed more than 50,000 troops and heavy military weapons along the LAC.

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