India and China on Friday agreed to push for a “timely” and “complete” disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and to hold another round of military-level talks, set for next week, to address persisting border tensions.
This followed talks held in the day under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs, convened through videoconference. This was the second WMCC meeting in the past two weeks, and only the 16th meeting of the body in eight years, underlining the unprecedented recent state of affairs along the border following the June 15 clash in Galwan Valley.
The disengagement process is still in progress in several spots along the LAC, and there remains a substantial build-up of thousands of troops along the border, including in-depth areas.
Consensus reached by Special Representatives
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that both sides reaffirmed they “will ensure complete disengagement of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquillity”, and follow the consensus reached by the two Special Representatives (SRs), National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and State Councillor Wang Yi, during their call on July 5.
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“As agreed by the two SRs, the Senior Commanders will meet soon to discuss further steps so as to ensure complete disengagement and de-escalation in a timely manner,” the MEA s