India and China began border talks on Friday for the first time since the Doklam military standoff ended in August. The talks in Beijing, under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination, were “constructive and forward-looking”, the Indian embassy said in a statement.

“Both sides reviewed the situation in all sectors of thr India-China border and agreed that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas is an important prerequisite for sustained growth of bilateral relations,” the Indian embassy said.

These Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination, or WMCC, talks are different from the dialogue between the Special Representatives, who will meet in December, The Times of India reported. While the Special Representatives mechanism explores how to resolving the border dispute, the focus of WMCC, established in 2012, is maintaining peace and tranquillity till the final resolution.

The Indian delegation had diplomats and military officials, and was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) Pranay Verma. The Chinese side was led by Xiao Qian, the director general, department of Asian affairs in the foreign ministry.

The border conflict

The Indo-China standoff at Doklam near the Sikkim border lasted more than 74 days between June and August this year. Beijing and New Delhi both maintained that troops from the other nation had transgressed into their territory. Bilateral ties were strained after the Indian Army stopped China from constructing a road in Doklam. On August 29, India announced that it was disengaging its troops from Doklam.