India, China Hold Border Talks in Beijing

New Delhi: Amid uncertainty over Chinese President Xi Jinping’s participation in the BRICS Summit to be held in India, officials from India and China held the 35th meeting of the India-China Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC) in Beijing.

The Indian side emphasized the need for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers during the talks held on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said.

“The two sides discussed issues related to delimitation, border management, mechanism creation and cross-border cooperation,” the MEA said. “The talks were constructive and forward-looking. The two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas. Expressed satisfaction with the progress made in maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas, which has led to progress towards gradual normalization of bilateral relations,” the statement said.

MEA said both sides agreed to prepare for the next round of Special Representatives (SR) talks to be held in China and maintain regular diplomatic and military-level engagements through established mechanisms.

The Indian delegation was led by Sujit Ghosh, joint secretary for East Asia, while the Chinese delegation was led by Hou Yanqi, director-general of the Border and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese foreign ministry.

During the visit, the Indian delegation also met with Liu Jinsong, Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs, and visited Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Hong Lei.

The meeting is part of ongoing efforts to manage border issues and maintain relations between the two countries.