India, China agree to resolve border dispute peacefully

New Delhi, India

India and China have agreed to resolve dispute over their shared border in the Ladakh region through dialogue, a day after military-level talks were held between the two neighbors.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement on Sunday, said that both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation "in accordance with various bilateral agreements."

“Both the sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship,” the press release said.

The two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation, it added.

A delegation led by Lt Gen. Harinder Singh, commander of Leh-based 14 Corps, held hours-long meeting with a Chinese delegation led by Major Gen.

Liu Lin, commander of the South Xinjiang military region, at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is a demarcation line that separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.

This was the first top military-level meeting since the stand-off that began in May.

The border skirmishes have led to the camping of soldiers from both sides in the Galwan Valley in the Himalayan region, accusing each other of trespassing over the disputed border.

“India is in talks with China. We have a mechanism to solve the problem and we are working as per that mechanism. Nothing better if it can be resolved through talks,” Rajnath Singh, India’s defense minister, had tweeted last week.

Border tensions between the two countries have existed for over seven decades. The disputed border also led to the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

Last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said “diplomatic and military communication channels between China and India on the border issue are open,” adding that the issue will be resolved soon.