A: The 9th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs was held in New Delhi on August 30 and 31. The Chinese delegation was headed by Ouyang Yujing, Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, while the Indian delegation was headed by Pradeep Kumar Rawat, Joint Secretary of the East Asia Division of the Ministry of External Affairs. Representatives from diplomatic, national defense and public security departments of the two countries also attended the meeting.

 

The meeting was held in an amicable, candid and practical way, during which the two sides positively reviewed the situation in the China-India border area in the past year, reckoning that the two countries held close communication and coordination on border affairs, military-to-military exchanges and cooperation in the border area made steady progress, the two sides properly handled border-related issues in a timely fashion, the border area maintained peaceful and stable, and cross-border cooperation made great headway. The two sides underlined that upholding peace and tranquility of the border area meets one of the top common interests and cooperation needs of the two countries. The two sides will follow through on relevant consensus reached by the two governments, strengthen communication and coordination in a constructive way, work together to handle border affairs, ramp up measures to enhance mutual trust, build on the general peace and stability of the border area, and create favorable conditions for boundary talks, bilateral relations and future high-level exchanges.