India and China held the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs in Beijing on Thursday.

This is the second meeting under the mechanism within a month and comes in the wake of the two foreign ministers engaging in Astana and Vientiane, Laos, in July where they decided to accelerate the discussions to end the impasse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Gourangalal Das, the joint secretary (East Asia) in the external affairs ministry, led the Indian delegation and the Chinese side was headed by Hong Liang, the director-general of the boundary and ocean affairs department of the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs.

According to the external affairs ministry, the two sides "had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the LAC to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues". They also decided to intensify contact through diplomatic and military channels.

They decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two governments. "It was reiterated that restoration of peace and tranquility, and respect for the LAC are the essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations," it said.

India has maintained that bilateral relations cannot be normal unless past agreements are adhered to.