India and China held another round of talks on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and described the discussions as constructive and forward-looking. The meeting was held in Beijing on Wednesday under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs.

The talks focused on maintaining peace and stability in the border areas and taking steps towards improving overall bilateral relations. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said both countries reviewed the present situation along the border and acknowledged the progress made in maintaining calm in the region after years of military tensions.

"The discussions were constructive and forward looking," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said after the meeting.

India and China have been trying to repair ties that were badly affected after the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. The violent clash had led to a long military stand-off in eastern Ladakh which continued for more than four years. Since then, both countries have held several diplomatic and military-level talks to reduce tensions and restore stability in the border areas.

According to the MEA, both sides expressed satisfaction over the improvement in the situation. "The two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas. They expressed satisfaction with the progress made in maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which has enabled progress towards gradual normalization of bilateral relations," the MEA said.

The discussions also covered several issues linked to border management and cooperation mechanisms. "The two sides discussed issues pertaining to delimitation, border management, mechanism building and cross-border cooperation," the MEA said.

India also raised the issue of trans-border rivers during the meeting. The Indian side stressed the need for an early meeting of the expert-level mechanism dealing with river-related cooperation between the two countries.

Both nations agreed to continue diplomatic and military engagement through existing communication channels. "Both sides agreed to maintain regular exchanges and contacts at the diplomatic and military levels through mechanisms including those that were agreed as part of the outcomes of 24th Special Representative talks," the MEA said in a statement.

The two countries also agreed to work together and make "substantive preparation" for the next meeting of the Special Representatives (SR), which will take place in China. The Special Representatives mechanism remains one of the key platforms for handling the boundary issue between the two neighbours.

Last year in August, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the Special Representatives dialogue in New Delhi. The meeting resulted in several decisions aimed at maintaining peace along the border and improving communication between both sides.

The WMCC meeting in Beijing was led by Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs. The Chinese delegation was headed by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

During his visit, Ghosh also met Liu Jinsong, who heads the Department of Asian Affairs in the Chinese Foreign Ministry. He later made a courtesy call on Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei.

The latest talks come at a time when both countries are attempting to reset their relationship after years of tensions. In recent months, India and China have taken several steps to reduce friction along the LAC. Following continuous military and diplomatic negotiations, troops from both sides withdrew from multiple friction points in eastern Ladakh.

A major breakthrough came in October 2024 when India and China finalised a disengagement agreement for Depsang and Demchok, which were the last remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. The agreement was seen as an important step towards easing tensions along the border.

Soon after the disengagement pact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties. The leaders took several decisions aimed at rebuilding trust and strengthening communication between the two countries.

In August last year, Prime Minister Modi also travelled to the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. On the sidelines of the summit, Modi and Xi held extensive discussions on the future of India-China relations.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi stressed that India wants to move forward in its relationship with China on the basis of mutual trust, mutual respect and mutual sensitivity. The statement reflected India’s focus on maintaining stable and balanced ties with its neighbour while ensuring peace along the border.