Consensus in WMCC meeting: India-China senior military commanders to meet once again

Amid the ongoing standoff at the LAC, the 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on Friday. While the Indian delegation was led by the Ministry of External Affairs' Joint Secretary (East Asia), the Director-General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented the other side. In an important development, the two nations agreed that another meeting of senior military commanders shall be held soon to work out steps for ensuring the complete disengagement and de-escalation along with the restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas. 

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During the meeting, both sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas and the ongoing disengagement process along the LAC. They agreed that this was necessary for the smooth development of bilateral relations. The two nations recalled that the disengagement process was in accordance with the agreement reached during the telephonic conversation of Special Representatives on July 5, 2020. According to the MEA, they also agreed to sincerely implement the understandings reached between senior commanders until now. On this occasion, India and China reiterated the commitment to continue engagements both at the diplomatic and military levels. 

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Violent clash at the LAC

20 Indian Army soldiers including a Commanding Officer were martyred when a violent faceoff took place on June 15 when the de-escalation process was underway in the Galwan Valley. As per the Editor-in-Chief of the Chinese newspaper Global Times, the Chinese side also suffered casualties during the physical clash. Both sides have held multiple rounds of diplomatic and military level meetings to resolve the situation. After the visit of PM Modi to Ladakh, there has been a lot of progress on disengagement at the LAC. 

In a statement issued on Thursday, MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava maintained that respecting and "strictly abiding" by the LAC is the basis of peace and tranquility in the border areas. He observed that the conduct of the Chinese forces in 2020 including the deployment of a large number of troops and unjustified claims have completely disregarded mutual agreements. He said that India was not only fully committed to respecting the LAC but also shall not accept any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC.

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