India, China hold border talks; review LAC situation, river data sharing

During the talks, the two sides held detailed discussions on the situation along the LAC and agreed to continue using established diplomatic and military channels to address outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings or miscalculations along the frontier.The latest India-China border talks came amid renewed efforts by the two sides to stabilise bilateral ties.India and China held their 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) meeting, reviewing the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and discussing transborder river data sharing.The meeting in New Delhi on Thursday came amid renewed efforts by the two sides to stabilise bilateral ties.India was represented by Joint Secretary (East Asia) Sujit Ghosh, while the Chinese delegation was led by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department.During the talks, the two sides held detailed discussions on the situation along the LAC and agreed to continue using established diplomatic and military channels to address outstanding issues and prevent misunderstandings or miscalculations along the frontier. These mechanisms include the WMCC, local commander-level meetings and other agreed channels for maintaining communication between the two sides.The discussions also followed up on the outcomes of the 24th meeting of the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question. The two sides exchanged views on issues including boundary delimitation, border management, institution-building and trans-border cooperation.India also pressed for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on transborder rivers, with New Delhi emphasising the importance of China sharing technical information on upstream projects.The issue of transborder rivers is significant for India's water security, particularly amid concerns over projects being undertaken upstream in China.Both sides reiterated that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border is essential for the broader development of India-China relations.The latest talks come against the backdrop of increased diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Beijing in recent months.Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri concluded a two-day visit to Beijing on July 28, where he held extensive discussions with Chinese officials on the full range of bilateral ties.His visit followed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of ASEAN-related meetings in Manila on July 21.During that meeting, Jaishankar had stressed that peace and tranquillity in the border areas were a “pre-requisite” for normalisation of India-China ties, which, he said, must be based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.India and China have taken several steps over the past year to rebuild ties that deteriorated sharply following the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes and the prolonged military face-off in Eastern Ladakh.Following diplomatic and military negotiations, the two sides completed disengagement from several friction points. In October 2024, they reached an agreement on disengagement in Depsang and Demchok, the last two major friction points in Eastern Ladakh.Since then, the two countries have also moved to restore several aspects of bilateral engagement, including the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, visa services and direct flight connectivity.- EndsPublished By: Karishma Saurabh KalitaPublished On: Aug 7, 2026 11:48 IST