India and China held their first meeting in Beijing on the border issue.

New Delhi: India and China once again held talks on the border issue. They discussed the ongoing standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). However, India has made it clear that only with the withdrawal of the military forces deployed on the border, the normalcy of bilateral relations can be restored. Meanwhile, this meeting is being held for the first time in Beijing, the capital of China.

These discussions were held under the auspices of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on the border affairs of India and China. The 14th meeting between the two countries after July 2019 was held on Wednesday. However, this is also the first personal meeting between the two countries under its auspices.

WMCC was formed in May 2020 to prevent tensions on the border between India and China. Due to Corona, meetings have been held virtually only so far. However, for the first time in Beijing on Wednesday, the representatives of both countries met in person and discussed the border issues. It is proposed to continue the withdrawal of forces in the western sector of the LAC as well as in the remaining areas in a structured manner. For this, it has been decided to hold the 18th round meeting of senior commanders soon.

On the other hand, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India and China have agreed to continue negotiations through military and diplomatic channels. The first in-person meeting of the WMCC in Beijing was led by the Joint Secretary (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs, on behalf of the Indian delegation. The Chinese team was led by the Director General of the Border and Maritime Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it said.