BEIJING: 21st Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs

BEIJING: The 21st meeting of the Working
Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs
(WMCC) was held on 12 March 2021. The Indian delegation was led by Additional
Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs. The Director
General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.

The two
sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the
Western Sector and had in-depth discussions on the remaining issues along the
LAC in the Western Sector. They agreed that the completion of the disengagement
in North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake provided a good basis for the two
sides to work towards early resolution of these remaining issues. They agreed
that the agreement reached between the two Foreign Ministers in Moscow in
September last year as also their recent phone conversation last month, should
continue to guide the work of two sides. The two sides should continue their
dialogue to reach a mutually acceptable solution for complete disengagement
from all friction points at the earliest. This would enable two sides to look
at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards restoration of
peace and tranquillity in the border areas. They also agreed that in the
interim two sides should continue to maintain stability at ground level and
prevent any untoward incident.

The two
sides agreed to maintain close communication and dialogue through both the
diplomatic and military channels. In this regard, they agreed to convene the
11th round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date so that two sides
could work towards complete disengagement from the remaining friction areas.