Restoration of peace and tranquility, and respect for the LAC are an essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral ties, says MEA
The two sides reviewed the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with a view to finding an early resolution of the outstanding issues
 
Senior officials from India and China held “in-depth, constructive and forward-looking” discussions during the 30th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held in New Delhi on Wednesday (July 31, 2024).
 
The talks followed discussions between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Ministers in their recent meetings at Astana and Vientiane.
 
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides reviewed the current situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with a view to finding an early resolution of the outstanding issues. Restoration of peace and tranquility, and respect for the LAC are an essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations, the MEA added.
 
According to an official press release, the two sides agreed on the need to jointly uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two Governments.
 
“The discussion at the meeting was in-depth, constructive and forward-looking. Both sides agreed to maintain the momentum through the established diplomatic and military channels,” the MEA noted.
 
In June 2020, a tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh had led to a violent face-off in the Galwan Valley. Twenty Indian soldiers had lost their lives. A large number of Chinese troops were also killed though China has never officially confirmed the actual number of deaths.
 
Multiple rounds of talks at the military and diplomatic levels since then have led to a disengagement at several places. The last few rounds of Corps Commander-level talks have, however, seen no announcement of any fresh disengagement along the remaining friction points along LAC in the Western Sector in the Eastern Ladakh region.

Meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings in Vientiane, Lao PDR on July 25, 2024, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar called for full respect for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and earlier agreements.
 
Their talks focussed on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations. Both Ministers agreed on the need to work with purpose and urgency to achieve complete disengagement at the earliest, the MEA said.
 
The two ministers earlier met in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 4, 2024, and had an in-depth exchange of views on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations.
 
EAM Jaishankar highlighted the need to redouble efforts to achieve complete disengagement from the remaining areas in Eastern Ladakh and restore border peace and tranquillity in order to remove obstacles towards return of normalcy in bilateral relations.
 
He reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two Governments in the past. The Line of Actual Control must be respected and peace and tranquillity in the border areas always ensured, EAM Jaishankar said.