The Joint Working Group (JWG) was the first official bilateral administrative mechanism formed after the 1962 Sino-Indian War by India and China to discuss the boundary question with the aim of finding a solution. It was officially announced in a joint press communique in Beijing on 23 December 1988. A total of fifteen meetings of the JWG were held between 1989 and 2005. The last meeting was held on 30–31 March 2005.

While the JWG was not able to resolve the boundary question, it was an important bilateral mechanism through which India and China gradually resolved certain aspects of the border problem. A "hotline" was set up between military commanders, border posts were opened, mechanisms for conveying troop positions were just some of the incremental changes accomplished.

Background The relevant part of the joint press communique reads:

The JWG would be led by the Indian foreign secretary and the Chinese deputy foreign minister. The JWG had a three-point mandate, summarised as, make recommendations and maintain border peace pending a final solution utilising the expertise of military experts, communications experts, legal experts etc.

Rounds 30 June – 4 July 1989 30–31 August 1990 12–14 May 1991 20–21 February 1992 27–29 October 1992 24–27 June 1993 6–7 July 1994 18–20 August 1995 16–18 October 1996 4–5 August 1997 26–27 April 1999 28–29 April 2000 31 July – 1 August 2001 21–22 November 2002 30–31 March 2005

See also

India–China border agreements 1988: Joint press communique, 23 December Confidence building measures 1993: Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement 1996: Agreement on Military Confidence Building Measures 2005: Protocol for the Implementation of Military Confidence Building Measures Political measures 2003: Declaration on Principles for Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation 2005: Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India–China Boundary Question 2012: Agreement on the Establishment of a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India–China Border Affairs 2013: Border Defence Cooperation Agreement 2020: 5 point statement

References

Bibliography