India, in a meeting on Wednesday with China on border affairs, expressed its concerns on the recent developments in Eastern Ladakh, including on the violent face-off in the Galwan Valley area on June 15, and emphasised that both sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual control.

The two discussed in detail the developments in the India-China border areas, in particular the situation in Eastern Ladakh, at the 15th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held through video-conference, according to an official release of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) while the other side was led by the Director General of the Department of Boundary & Oceanic Affairs of the Chinese MFA.

There were a number of casualties on both sides during the face-off in Galwan Valley, following which there was a blame game between the two countries.

At Wedesday’s meeting, the two sides agreed that, as per the conversation held last week between the respective Foreign Affairs Ministers, India and China should sincerely implement the understanding on disengagement and de-escalation that was reached by the Senior Commanders on June 6.

“The two delegations agreed that implementation of this understanding expeditiously, in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols, would help ensure peace and tranquillity in border areas and the development of broader relationship between the two countries. In this context, they also took note of the discussions in the second meeting of the Senior Commanders held on June 22,” the release said.

The two decided to maintain communication both at the diplomatic and military levels, including under the framework of the WMCC, to resolve the existing situation peacefully.

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