MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2018) New Delhi and Beijing are likely to discuss coordinated patrolling of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the disputed area of the Himalayan region at the upcoming meeting of the two defense ministers in what may become a cardinal shift in the way the two sides manage their shared borders, media reported on Tuesday.
According to India Today, the issue may be raised during the upcoming talks of Indian Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, who will visit New Delhi on Thursday.
The patrolling will be reportedly carried out only in designated disputed spots along the border.
The sides may also discuss bilateral military exercises, which were suspended following the Doklam standoff, as well as the establishment of a hotline connecting the two armies, the magazine noted.
The two countries regularly hold consultations to maintain peace on their border and avoid mutual provocations. India and China had a number of disputes in the past, including the 2017 disagreement over Beijing's decision to build infrastructure in the border area of Doklam, claimed by Bhutan and China.
The dispute resulted in a military standoff between China and India, which stated that it acted on behalf of Bhutan. In late August 2017, the sides agreed to disengage their forces in the area.
