India, China hold 24th meeting of working mechanism on border affairs

The 24th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on Tuesday, an official statement said.

The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary, East Asia, from the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese side.

The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the western sector of the India-China border. They recalled that since the last meeting of WMCC in November 2021, both sides have held the 14th and 15th meetings of the Senior Commanders in January and March 2022, respectively.

The two sides exchanged views on the current situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. They agreed that as instructed by the two Foreign Ministers, both sides should continue the discussions through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC at the earliest so as to create conditions for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations.

In this context, they agreed to hold the next (16th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all friction points along the LAC in the western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols.

--IANS

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