India-China LAC Issue

The 19^th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held yesterday.  The Press Release issued after the meeting is already on our website.

The two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.  They had detailed discussions in this regard, including on the developments since the last meeting of the WMCC on 20 August, 2020.

Both sides acknowledged the importance of the meetings between the two Defence Ministers and the two Foreign Ministers held earlier in September in Moscow.  They also noted that the agreement between the two Foreign Ministers should be sincerely implemented to ensure disengagement at all the friction points along the LAC.

The two sides also reviewed the outcome of the 6^th Senior Commanders meeting on 21 September.  As I had noted last week that meeting had resulted in a joint press release and two sides had agreed on some steps to ensure stability on the ground even as they work towards complete disengagement in all friction areas.

In this regard, in the WMCC the two sides were of the view that it was necessary to implement the steps outlined in the last meeting of the senior commanders so as to avoid misunderstandings and to maintain stability on the ground.

As agreed in the last Senior Commander’s meeting, the two sides are now working to schedule the next (7^th) round of the meeting so that both sides can work towards early and complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement and protocols, and fully restore peace and tranquility.