At a meeting today, Indian and Chinese officials “reflected on the lessons” of the violent events of 2020 and discussed mechanisms to prevent a repeat. The two sides held discussions at the 32nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

The WMCC meeting comes more than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA), in a statement, gave details of the meeting, saying that “both sides reviewed the situation in the border areas and reflected on the lessons learned from the events of 2020 in order to avoid that They don’t reproduce.”

The two armies found themselves in a stalemate that led to violent clashes, including that at Galwan in June 2020. The MEA outlined the way forward to avoid a repeat. “In this context, they stressed the importance of regular exchanges and contacts at the diplomatic and military levels through established mechanisms,” the statement said.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said in a statement in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the “disengagement” of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was complete, but management of border areas required “additional” attention. . Peace and tranquility along the LAC will form the basis of future relations with China, he had said.

Today’s WMCC meeting echoed a similar sentiment. The MEA statement said: “Both sides agreed on the need for effective border management and maintenance of peace and tranquility in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings concluded between the two governments.” A series of written agreements were signed between India and China in the 1990s, followed by other pacts in 2003, 2005, 2012 and 2013.

Both parties positively affirmed the implementation of the latest disengagement agreement of October 21, which completed the resolution of the problems that emerged in 2020, the MEA said.

The WMCC also prepared the next meeting of special representatives, which will be held in accordance with the decision taken in Kazan on October 23.

The Indian delegation to the WMCC was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia), and the Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, Director-General of the Border and Ocean Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The head of the Chinese delegation also called on Foreign Minister Vikram Misri during the visit.