Now Reading: India, China hold ‘frank’ border talks, seek river data sharing
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India, China hold ‘frank’ border talks, seek river data sharing
India and China held their 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) meeting on Thursday, with both sides agreeing to keep using diplomatic and military channels. The…
The Story in Brief
India and China held their 36th Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) meeting on Thursday, with both sides agreeing to keep using diplomatic and military channels. The talks were described as 'frank' by the Indian government, which stressed that peace along the line of actual control (LAC) is vital for bilateral ties.
New Delhi reiterated the need for an early meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers, set up in 2006, and demanded technical details on upstream projects. This follows China's recent announcement of a mega dam. India, as a lower riparian state, wants hydrological data sharing resumed and assurances that its interests are not harmed.
The Indian Opinion
The 'frank' tag is diplomatic code for sharp differences that neither side wants to escalate publicly. Both China and India over-hype their respective positions to domestic audiences, Beijing calls mega dams sovereign, Delhi warns of water security. The real test will be the Expert Level Mechanism meeting. If hydrological data resumes, trust may inch forward. If not, the LAC calm is just a pause on paper.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
