The meeting was held between Corps Commander-level officials at the ‘border personnel meeting’ point at Wacha, north of Kibithu in Anjaw district of the state, sources have confirmed. The meeting marked the first Corps Commander-level interaction at the Wacha point since it became operational in 2014.
A week ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to India, senior military commanders of India and China met along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.
The meeting was held between Corps Commander-level officials at the ‘border personnel meeting’ point at Wacha, north of Kibithu in Anjaw district of the state, sources have confirmed. The meeting marked the first Corps Commander-level interaction at the Wacha point since it became operational in 2014.
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The Army’s 3 Corps Commander Lt Gen Girish Kalia represented India. A Corps Commander is responsible for a designated operational area. The Corps oversees a major portion of the 1,140-km LAC in Arunachal Pradesh.
The development comes just a week ahead of the BRICS Leader’s Summit, where Xi, among other leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi.
The meeting at the LAC comes less than a month after a misunderstanding between the two militaries near Taksing in the Upper Subhansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Taksing is also under the command of 3 Corps. Sources said the Army had maintained a firm stance in responding to Chinese troop activity in the area.
India and China have different perceptions of the LAC in their territories and at times, that leads to issues on the ground. So far, there is no official statement by the Ministry of Defence. However, sources said the Corps Commander-level meeting discussed ways of maintaining peace along the LAC.
National Security Advisory Board former member Lt Gen SL Narasimhan (retd) said: “A meeting between senior officers along the LAC can bring stability and resolve friction, if any.”
Last month, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while responding to questions on the ‘military situation’ along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, said developments along the border were a “serious matter” and would have a bearing on broader bilateral relations.
India and China have held several Corps Commander-level meetings at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point in eastern Ladakh since the Galwan clashes of 2020, during which both sides suffered casualties.
Sunday’s meeting also comes less than two weeks after the Special Representatives of India and China met in Beijing on August 25 and agreed to continue efforts towards a political settlement of the boundary dispute in keeping with the long-term interests of both countries. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi serve as the Special Representatives of the two sides.