India raises Leh incursions
with China
Ways to ensure peace
on LAC discussed
NEW DELHI, July 23: India and China
today discussed ways to ensure peace and tranquillity along the border in the
backdrop of recent Chinese incursions during a meeting here, the first since
the three-week “face-to-face” standoff in April at Depsang Valley
near LAC in Ladakh. India
is understood to have raised these incursions and their impact but there was no
official confirmation for the same. The two-day meeting under working mechanism
for consultation and coordination on India-China border affairs also “discussed
all issues since the last meet in November”, sources said. “The meeting deals
with all issues of peace and tranquillity on the border…. However, this meeting
does not deal with border issues as those issues are handled by Special
Representatives on both sides. Also the meeting does not discuss Border Defence
Cooperation Agreement since there is a separate mechanisms for that,”
spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs said here. The meeting is led
by Joint Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs Gautam Bambawale and seniors
officials of Ministry of Defence and Home Affairs from Indian side and a
composite delegation of officials from Chinese side comprising members from
various departments dealing with the boundary issue, he said.
Significantly, there
was no member of Army in the composite Chinese delegation, the sources said.
While the meeting
focused on how to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and ensure
better coordination and communication when incidents take place near the Line
of Actual Control, the violation of status quo ante in Ladakh by Chinese troops
in April apart from other Chinese incursions thereafter are understood to have
been discussed. The Chinese incursions came days after India cleared a proposal to raise 50,000-strong
Mountain Strike Corps along the border with China, a major boost to the Army’s
war- fighting capabilities along the LAC. The spokesperson also said that the
meeting was part of series of regular interactions between the two countries.
Source: PTI
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