India, China hold 3rd meet on border affairs
As part of a regular series of interactions between the two countries, India and China on Tuesday began their third meeting of working mechanism for consultation and coordination on border affairs. The two-day meeting comes in the aftermath of the recent Chinese incursions and it is the first since the three-week stand off in April at Depsang Valley near LAC in Ladakh.
Spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs, Syed Akbaruddin, said, “The meeting deals with all issues of peace and tranquillity on the border. However, this meeting does not deal with border issues as those issues are handled by special representatives on both sides. Also the meeting does not discuss Border Defence Cooperation Agreement since there is a separate mechanisms for that.”
The meeting is primarily focusing on ways and means to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and to ensure better co-ordination and communication whenever incidents take place at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Joint secretary in ministry of external affairs Gautam Bambawale, who is assisted by senior officials of ministry of defence and home affairs, leads the Indian side. China too has a composite delegation of officials to take part in the talks. During the course of the talks, Indian side is expected to raise the violation of status quo in Ladakh as also the recent incursions.
It is to be noted that the recent incursions took place days after the Indian government sanctioned the raising of a 50,000 strong Mountain Strike Corps along the Chinese border.
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