India and China Monday ended two days of talks on issues related to their border dispute, saying it was vital to maintain peace in order to develop their relationship
The fourth meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held in Beijing Sep 29-30.
"Reviewing recent developments in the border areas, especially in the western sector, the two delegations agreed that peace and tranquility on the border is the basis for the continued expansion of India-China relations.
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"To this end, both sides discussed further measures to maintain stability on the border, building on existing understandings and arrangements," the statement added.
India and China, which went to war in 1962, claim each other's territory.
The Indian delegation was led by Gautam Bambawale, joint secretary (East Asia), and included officials of the ministries of external affairs, defence and home affairs besides the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
The Chinese delegation was led by Ouyang Yujing, Director General of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs in the foreign ministry.
It included officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and national defence.
The fifth meeting of the Working Mechanism will be held in India at a mutually convenient time, the statement said.
India and China are in talks over the draft of a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA), which is based on a proposal by China on how to further peace and tranquility on the unsettled over 4,000 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) that functions as the de facto boundary.
Both sides held the 16th round of Special Representatives talks on the border in Beijing June 28-29.
The latest talks come in the backdrop of rising instances of border violations by Chinese troops along the LAC, including in July in Chumar in the western sector.
Indian and Chinese trops were also locked in a three-week standoff in Depsang area of Ladakh in April-May.
The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was formed to address problems between the troops at their borders.u00a0
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