China and India put tough issues at ease with diplomatic and military meetings

Frequent diplomatic and military meetings between China and India show both sides' will to resolve border disputes mutually, analysts said after the latest border consultation meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and Indian Ministry of External Affairs separately released a press statement on Thursday on the 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs, or WMCC.

Both sides positively evaluated the progress made in the management and control of the situation in the China-India border area, and had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the ideas of work for the next stage, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The meeting was co-chaired by Hong Liang, director-general of the Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Gourangalal Das, joint secretary of the East Asia Division at India's Ministry of External Affairs. Representatives from the foreign affairs, defense, immigration and other departments of the two countries attended the meeting as well.

With frequent meetings at the highest diplomatic levels by both sides, it can be inferred that both sides are determined to resolve border disputes mutually and want to avoid any escalation in the future, said Haans Freddy, a professor in the Department of Political Science at Madras Christian College in Chennai, India.

The two sides made positive comments on the progress made in bringing the border situation under control, agreeing to reach a mutually acceptable plan at an early date and promote the transition of the border situation into a normalized phase of control and management, the Chinese ministry added.

They agreed to continue to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels, improve the negotiation and consultation mechanism, strictly abide by the existing agreements and protocols, continue to consolidate the achievements of the previous efforts and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

New Delhi said in its readout that the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.

In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols, the Ministry of External Affairs of India said in its statement.

The last session of WMCC took place in November last year during which both the countries reviewed the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas. In February, two countries held their 21st round of Corps Commander-level meetings at the border where the two sides agreed to maintain communication on current border issues to "turn the page" over the border situation.

Both sides felt the urgency to resolve all outstanding border issues without prolonging the discussions, said R.S. Vasan, a retired Indian navy commodore who is now the director of the Chennai Centre for China Studies, a think tank.

Now it requires concerted efforts from both sides to set a time frame to achieve amicable status and move forward on a positive note, Vasan pointed out.

It will take time to resolve the border disputes, but both sides should continue such talks, said General Shankar Roy Chowdhury, a former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.

China's trade with India in the first two months of 2024 surged by 15.8 percent year-on-year, making it one of the fastest growth rates among China's trading partners, according to data from the China General Administration of Customs.

Over the past year, China-India relations have shown a positive momentum of improvement, Ma Jia, charge d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in India said at a Chinese New Year carnival in New Delhi on Feb 6.

"We hope the window for communications gets bigger, the platform of practical cooperation becomes larger, (and) the bridge for people-to-people exchanges will be rebuilt," Ma Jia said at the event.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.