ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have activated a long-pending joint commission aimed at addressing practical matters along their shared border and strengthening coordination between the two countries.
The inaugural meeting of the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The meeting was jointly led by Li Ya, deputy director general of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Bilal Mahmood Chaudhary, director general for China at Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the commission will provide a formal platform for regular coordination on border management, joint surveys, trade and cross-border connectivity.
The commission was established under the 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System, which was signed during the visit of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Islamabad.
Article 45 of the agreement provides for the establishment of the joint commission to oversee arrangements related to the management of the Pakistan-China border.
The mechanism is designed to address practical issues along the frontier, including maintenance and inspection of the boundary, joint surveys and matters concerning boundary markers.
It will also provide a forum for discussions about cross-border facilities, incidents and other issues that may arise along the shared frontier.
The activation of the commission has implications for trade and movement between Pakistan and China. The Khunjerab crossing remains an important route for bilateral trade and travel, while the border region is also connected to infrastructure and connectivity projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Officials said the new mechanism would allow both countries to maintain regular consultations on matters affecting their shared border.
The newly activated commission is separate from an earlier boundary body established following the 1963 Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement. That earlier Joint Boundary Demarcation Commission had a specific mandate to conduct surveys, place boundary markers, prepare maps and determine the alignment of the border.
Its work concluded after the demarcation process was completed through the relevant protocol and maps.
The 1963 agreement was signed in Beijing by Pakistan’s then foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Chinese foreign minister Chen Yi.
The agreement also included a provision concerning the Kashmir dispute, stating that following a settlement between Pakistan and India, the relevant sovereign authority would reopen negotiations with China regarding the boundary.
The 2013 agreement, by contrast, established a continuing framework for managing the already demarcated Pakistan-China border.
It also contains provisions concerning boundary markers and cross-border infrastructure. Under the agreement, if a boundary marker cannot be restored at its original location, the joint commission can determine another suitable location, while the boundary line itself cannot be altered through that process.
India has rejected the newly activated mechanism. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had seen reports regarding the commission and reiterated India’s position that it does not recognise a Pakistan-China boundary in the area concerned, describing the mechanism as lacking a legal basis.
Pakistan and China, meanwhile, regard the commission as an institutional mechanism for managing practical issues related to their shared frontier.
The activation of the commission is expected to provide both countries with a regular platform for consultations on border management, trade, connectivity and other issues arising along the frontier.
