India, China hold border meet to enhance mutual trust

The ministry said the maintenance of peace in border areas with the neighbour is an important prerequisite for further development of India-China relations.

India and China discussed on Thursday various confidence-building measures aimed at enhancing mutual trust and understanding between border personnel and decided to explore the possibility of exchange of visits and institutionalised dialogue mechanisms, said the external affairs ministry in a statement.

The statement was issued after the 11th round of the Working Mechanism on Consultation & Coordination for India-China Border Affairs. (Reuters File Photo)

The statement was issued after the 11th round of the Working Mechanism on Consultation & Coordination for India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

The ministry said the maintenance of peace in border areas with the neighbour is an important prerequisite for further development of India-China relations. The statement said the discussions were held in a “friendly and cordial” atmosphere.

“The two sides exchanged views on ways to improve border management. We underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas is an important prerequisite for further development of bilateral relations,” the statement said.

The Indian delegation was led by Pranay Verma, joint secretary (East Asia) in MEA, while the Chinese team was led by Yi Xianliang, director general, Department of Boundary & Oceanic Affairs in the Chinese foreign ministry. They agreed to hold the next meeting at a mutually convenient time.