India, China hold border talks, discuss alternate Kailash Mansarovar route

India and China Wednesday concluded three days of border talks and agreed that maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border was an "important guarantor" for boosting bilateral ties.

During the 6th Meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on the India-China Border Affairs held in Beijing on April 28-30, the two sides also discussed an alternate route for the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra.

"The talks were held in a cordial, constructive and forward-looking manner at a time when the season is changing in the high-altitude areas along the India-China border. Both sides agreed that maintenance of peace and tranquility on the border was an important guarantor for the further development of bilateral relations," said an official statement here.

"The talks reviewed recent developments particularly in the Western Sector of the boundary, implementation of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement and additional confidence building measures," it added.

The Indian delegation was led by Gautam Bambawale, joint secretary (East Asia) in the external affairs ministry, and comprised representatives of the ministries of external affairs, defence and home, as well as members of the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

The Chinese side was led by Ouyang Yujing, director general, department of boundary and oceanic affairs in the ministry of foreign affairs and comprised of representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs and national defence.

The Indian delegation also called on Liu Zhenmin, vice minister of foreign affairs.