In order to further build the confidence building measure, India and China have signed an agreement for setting up a mechanism to avert any untoward incident on the border. The agreement was signed between Special Representatives (SRs) - National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo. The Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs,to be headed by a joint secretary level officer, will undertake mutually agreed tasks but will not discuss resolution of the boundary question or affect the SR process. The mechanism will ensure that anything happening on the border is immediately referred to the concerned higher level authorities so that we maintain relative peace and tranquillity along the border. It will facilitate real-time contact between the foreign office of the two countries in case of intrusions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — the de facto India-China border.
It can be recalled that the SR mechanism was set up in 2003 following the visit of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The 15th meeting of SRs was to be held in November, 2011, but had to be postponed after China protested Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s participation in a religious function in Delhi around the time of the talks.
