29th round of diplomatic discussions between India and China is about disengagement in border areas.

 NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official press statement on Thursday that India and China, who are experiencing border tensions, have been exchanging ideas about how to achieve total disengagement and resolve the difficulties along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of India-China border areas.

The 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was called to order by China and India on Wednesday in Beijing.

The conference was co-chaired by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department and the Indian delegation, led by a Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

"On March 27, 2024, in Beijing, the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) convened its 29th meeting. The Indian delegation was led by the Ministry of External Affairs' Joint Secretary (East Asia). The statement stated that the head of the Chinese delegation was the Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It further stated, "The two parties engaged in a thorough discussion about how to accomplish total disengagement and settle the outstanding disputes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the border areas between India and China.

After the conference, both sides decided to keep lines of communication open on the diplomatic and military fronts in order to protect the peace and quiet along the border.

"In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols," said the ministry.

In November of the preceding year, the WMCC held its 28th session. Both sides discussed the state of affairs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the border regions between China and India at this meeting.

According to a news release from the ministry of External Affairs (MEA), they had a candid, fruitful, and in-depth conversation about plans to settle outstanding problems and achieve total disengagement in Eastern Ladakh.

They also agreed that maintaining calm and peace along the border regions, keeping the ground situation steady, and averting any unfortunate incidents were essential.

China's "absurd claims" and "baseless arguments" about Arunachal Pradesh have been rejected by India once more, which maintains that the northeastern State is a "integral and inalienable part of India."

In an official statement released on March 19, the ministry of external affairs stated that Arunachal Pradesh's citizens will continue to gain from India's infrastructure and development initiatives.

Recently, the Chinese Defense Ministry reaffirmed its claim to the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, referring to it as "Zangan—an inherent part of China's territory." "Zangnan is China's intrinsic territory, and China never acknowledges and fiercely opposes India's unlawful creation of the so-called 'Arunachal Pradesh,'" Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, stated on March 15.

The Chinese military's comments came soon after India responded forcefully to China's statements over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.