Another joint secretary-level meeting between India, China on border issue soon: MEA

A meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border is expected to be scheduled soon, confirmed Minister of External Affairs on Thursday.

A meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border is expected to be scheduled soon, confirmed Minister of External Affairs on Thursday. "The fourth round of meeting of senior commanders was held on July 14 where they also discussed further steps to ensure complete disengagement. Another meeting of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) in India-China border areas is expected to be scheduled soon," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during a weekly briefing.

The WMCC talks are headed by joint secretary-level officials from both sides Earlier in the day, sources said that the meeting of the WMCC on India-China border affairs is likely to be held tomorrow.

Earlier this month, the two countries held the 16th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs to revolve the current standoff between the two sides. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) while the Director-General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the Chinese delegation.

WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between their border security personnel. Recently, it was reported that it seems that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is not in a mood to de-escalate the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as it has a continued deployment of around 40,000 troops in its front and depth areas for the Eastern Ladakh sector.

Srivastava said that India has made its position clear in regard to the Line of Actual Control and along the India-China border adding that respecting and strictly abiding by the LAC is the basis of peace and tranquillity in the border area. "We have made our position clear in regard to the Line of Actual Control and along the India China border area through a number of statements in the last several weeks as conveyed earlier that respecting and strictly abiding by the LAC is the basis of peace and tranquillity in the border area," he said.

"We have also made it clear that India is fully committed for observing and respecting the LAC and we will not accept any unilateral attempt to change the status quo along the LAC," he added. (ANI)

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