India and China on Monday discussed ways to avoid face-off between the two armies at the line of Actual Control (lAC) and agreed to explore measures like hotline at various levels and increasing the number of Border Personnel Meeting Points to defuse any situation.
These issues came during the sixth round of Annual Defence Dialogue between Defence Secretary RK Mathur and his Chinese counterpart Wang Guanzhong here. While reviewing the pace of implementation of BDCA signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Beijing in October last year, the two sides also agreed to enhance confidence building measures.
Elaborating upon them, officials said at present, the local commanders of the two armies meet at three points along the lAC including Chushul (leh), Nathu la (Sikkim) and Bum la (Arunachal Pradesh). The BDCA had suggested that these Border Personnel Meeting points should be increased and the Indian Army is keen to have one such point in the central sector of lAC in either Uttarakhand or Himachal Pradesh.
The BDCA also recommended a hotline between the DGMOs of India and China on the lines of similar arrangement with Pakistan. The parleys on Monday saw the two sides agreeing to have such hotlines even at the local unit and brigade level along the 4,500 km lAC to address issues like transgressions into each other’s territory and avoid face offs.
In this backdrop, New Delhi will host a senior level exchange between directorates of military operations of two countries later this year during which practical measures for management of border issues will be discussed, they said.
Moreover, India will host the next round of joint exercise between the two nations, officials said adding the last exercise was held in China last year.