China, India hold 'constructive' talks at border

The 17th round of China-India corps commander-level talks was held on Tuesday on the Chinese side of the Moldo-Chushul border meeting point, China's Defense Ministry said on Thursday afternoon.

The ministry said in a brief news release on its website that, based on the progress made after the 16th round of talks in July, the two sides exchanged views on the resolution of the relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector in an "open and constructive manner".

Both sides are convinced that frank and in-depth discussion on the remaining issues as soon as possible would help to restore peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in the western sector and improve bilateral relations.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the western sector. They also agreed to stay in close contact and maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels and work out a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest opportunity, according to the news release.

After the 16th round of talks, frontline soldiers from both sides disengaged at Jianan Pass, a border pass along the Line of Actual Control between the two countries, in a synchronized and organized manner.

However, Indian troops illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control on Dec 9 to block Chinese border defense soldiers who were conducting a routine patrol on the Chinese side of the line in the Dongzhang area of the eastern section of the China-India border.

The Chinese force handled the situation in a professional and effective way, and stabilized the situation on the ground before soldiers from both sides disengaged, said Long Shaohua, a spokesman for the People's Liberation Army's Western Theater Command.

China and India should not let the border issue hinder the development of bilateral ties, and should uphold peace and tranquility on the border and achieve common development, said Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and a retired researcher with the PLA.