"Our channels and mechanism on handling the border related affairs are very effective and very smooth," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing while reacting to Indian media reports of incursions by Chinese troops ahead of the 17th round of border talks being held in New Delhi since yesterday.
The reports said a day before the talks, soldiers of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) transgressed into Chumar area of eastern Ladakh, resulting in a two-hour face-off with Indian troops.
The two-day border talks are being held between National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi in Delhi.
On the ongoing talks, Hua said they are "important efforts by the two sides to settle the border affairs. We have every reason to believe that the ongoing talks will produce positive progress so that we can as soon as possible work out a framework acceptable to both sides so as to maintain peace and stable development of China-India relations."
Subsequently both sides signed the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) to address issues arising out patrolling of disputed borders.
