India, China hold 'constructive' talks on border issue in eastern Ladakh
India and China share a 3,800-kilometre-long, largely undemarcated and disputed boundary along the Himalayas
Senior officials from India and China held "constructive" and "forward-looking" discussions on Wednesday (27 May) on the long-standing border situation in eastern Ladakh, as both sides noted that maintaining peace along the frontier has helped advance the gradual normalisation of bilateral relations.
The talks took place during the 35th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs held in Beijing, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"The discussions were constructive and forward looking," the MEA said in a statement.
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Both sides reviewed the situation in the border areas and expressed satisfaction over the progress made in maintaining peace and tranquillity, which they said has enabled continued efforts towards stabilising bilateral ties.
The delegations also discussed key issues including border delimitation, management mechanisms, institution-building, and cross-border cooperation.
India further emphasised the need for an early meeting of the next expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers.
India and China share a 3,800-kilometre-long, largely undemarcated and disputed boundary along the Himalayas. Although the region has seen relative calm in recent decades, tensions escalated sharply in 2020 following a deadly clash in eastern Ladakh in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
The confrontation triggered a four-year military standoff, with both sides deploying tens of thousands of troops. A disengagement agreement reached in October marked a cautious thaw in relations.
