New Delhi:

India and China on Thursday had a “frank, constructive and forward-looking” exchange of views on the situation along the LAC to “narrow down” differences and find an early resolution to outstanding issues, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was held in Beijing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

During the meeting, it was reiterated that “restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are the essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations”, it said.

In line with the guidance provided by the two foreign ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July to accelerate the discussions, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month, “the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues”, the statement said.

For this, they further agreed for “intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels”.

Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (east Asia), from the MEA led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, director general of the Boundary & Ocean Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the meantime, the two sides decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in the border areas, in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments, the MEA statement said.

The leader of the Indian delegation also called on the vice-minister in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The 30th meeting of the WMCC was held in New Delhi on July 31.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has snubbed Opposition charges over alleged Chinese intrusions with an assertion that no one can occupy even an inch of land in the country.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, he also said that his party has never questioned the courage and bravery of the country’s soldiers.

“As the Defence Minister, I want to assure the citizens that no one can capture even one inch of land of the country,” he asserted as the Opposition continued to press the government over alleged incursions. On multiple instances earlier, the government had denied Opposition claims that China had taken away India’s land. 

India and China witnessed a border standoff in 2020 as the soldiers of the two countries clashed near the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh.

Mr Singh said that the two countries are now holding commander-level talks to solve the border dispute, the details of which cannot be revealed at this stage. But, if it’s discussed, it will make the people proud, he said.

“Commander-level talks are being held currently between India and China in a good atmosphere and I think we must wait for the results. But if I start discussing what’s at which point, people will feel proud. But I don’t want to reveal the details right now because talks are underway between the two countries,” said the Defence Minister.

Tensions between the two countries had spiralled again in December 2022 when another clash erupted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector, with the government accusing China of trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo along the LAC.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh to be a part of Tibet, which India has rejected multiple times in the past. India maintains Arunachal is an integral part of the country.