China, India vow to learn lessons of deadly 2020 border clash, keep talking to avert rerun

Calls for openness mark first WMCC talks since both sides withdrew from face-off points along disputed western Himalayan border

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Indian and Chinese troops greet each other and exchange sweets along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh on October 31, on the occasion of the Indian festival of Diwali. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:59pm, 6 Dec 2024Updated: 9:36pm, 6 Dec 2024

India and China have pledged to reflect on the lessons learned from their border stand-off in 2020, while emphasising the need for regular communication to prevent a recurrence.

The resolution came at the first diplomatic talks under a key dialogue mechanism since both sides withdrew from two face-off points along their disputed western Himalayan border.

“The two sides positively affirmed the implementation of the most recent [troop] disengagement agreement which completed the resolution of the issues that emerged in 2020,” a statement from the Indian foreign ministry said after the 32nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs, held in New Delhi on Thursday.

The issues of 2020 refer to a series of stand-offs that summer along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating Indian-controlled Ladakh and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin. Matters came to a head with clashes in the Galwan River valley that left dozens of Indian troops and at least four Chinese soldiers dead, plunging bilateral ties to their lowest point in decades.

To prevent such incidents in the future, both sides emphasised the need for “exchanges and contacts at the diplomatic and military levels through established mechanisms”, according to New Delhi.

The Chinese foreign ministry also highlighted the importance of leveraging the border negotiation mechanism, and maintaining open diplomatic and military channels.