India and China discuss border security and improving bilateral relations

New Delhi, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- India announced on Friday that it had discussed border security issues with China, emphasizing that maintaining peace and calm in border areas is essential for the comprehensive development of bilateral relations. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that this came within the framework of the 36th meeting of the “Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs between India and China,” held in New Delhi, where both sides held frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating the territories under the control of the two countries. Both sides agreed to continue using existing diplomatic and military channels, including field-level commander meetings and other mechanisms, to resolve pending issues and prevent misunderstandings or miscalculations along the LAC. The two sides also held detailed discussions on issues related to border demarcation, border management, mechanism-building, and cross-border cooperation. India reiterated the need to hold the next meeting on transboundary rivers as soon as possible, stressing the importance of exchanging technical details concerning projects being undertaken on upper reaches of rivers. The Indian delegation was led by Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary for East Asia in the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was headed by He Yanzhi, Director-General of the Department of Border and Ocean Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (End) a.t.k / a.m.s