Beijing. The 14th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs was held in Beijing on July 29.

The Indian delegation was led by Naveen Srivastava, Joint Secretary (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the Chinese side was led by Mr Hong Liang, Director General, Department of Boundary and Oceanic Affairs, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In accordance with the importance placed by leaders of both countries for effective border management, both sides reviewed the situation in the border areas. In this regard, the two sides also took note of regular exchanges at the troops level and at diplomatic level, including under the WMCC framework, for maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Both the sides reviewed the progress made in effective implementation of various confidence building measures (CBMs) to further enhance mutual trust and understanding. The importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas as a prerequisite to smooth development of overall bilateral relations was acknowledged by both sides.

The WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for management of India – China border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between the border security personnel of the two sides.

The two sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the WMCC at a mutually convenient date.