Diplomatic talks between India China held amidst border row

New Delhi, June 24: India and China today discussed ways to ease border tensions. The two nations also discussed future diplomatic contacts during the first formal diplomatic meeting held since the June 15 clash at the Galwan Valley.

The virtual meet of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs is the second one since June 5 and was held through video conference.

The next level after the WMCC is the Special Representative mechanism. However there is no indication whether the two sides intend to convene the meeting anytime soon.

The WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination. The intent behind the establishment of the WMCC was for maintaining peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas and also to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation.

On Monday, India and China held military level talks and both sides reached a consensus to disengage.

The Indian Army said in its first official statement following the talks on Monday, "the Corps Commander level talks between India and China on 22 June 2020 were held at Moldo in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere. There was a mutual consensus to disengage. Modalities for disengagement from all friction areas in Eastern Ladakh were discussed and will be taken forward by both the sides."

During the talks, the Indian side demanded the withdrawal of PLA troops from the Galwan Valley, where the deadly clash had taken place on June 15. The Indian side also demanded the restoration of status quo ante in the key strategic areas.

The meeting took place between Lieutenant General, Harinder Singh, commander of the Leh based 14 corps and Major General Liu Lin of the South Xinjiang military region. The talks began at around 11.30 am and went on till 10.15 pm, officials familiar with the developments told OneIndia.

India also demanded the reduction of military deployments in the depth areas on their side of the disputed border. The main intention of the talks was to restore status quo in the Gogra Post, Galwan Valley and Gogra Post. The Indian Army wants the Chinese to move back from their current positions to where they were in early April.

India also flagged concerns about the build up of Chinese troops, artillery units in the Gogra Post Hot Springs sector, which is north of Pangong Tso.