Setting aside the irritants that have marked Sino-Indian ties in rec-ent months, New Delhi and Beijing, in a significant confidence-building measure, inked an agreement for setting up a joint working mechanism to ensure “peace and tranquillity” along the undelineated 4,087-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) here on Tuesday.
The “India-China Agreement on the Establishment of a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs” was signed on the conclusion of the two-day special representative-level talks.
Leading the Indian side was NSA Shivsha-nkar Menon while the Chinese were led by state councillor Dai Bi-ngguo. The agreement was signed by Indian ambassador to China S. Jaishankar and Chi-na’s assistant foreign minister, Liu Zhenmin.
With one of the primary aims being to prevent flare-ups along the LAC, the working mechanism will “study ways and means to conduct and strengthen exchanges and cooperation between military personnel and establishments of the two sides in the border areas”. PM Manmohan Singh said the talks have achieved “positive progress”, adding that India wants the boundary question resolved in a fair and mutually acceptable manner.