Pakistan, China activate joint border commission

Pakistan and China have activated a long-pending joint commission to manage practical issues along their shared border.

The development was described by Pakistan as an important step in strengthening bilateral cooperation.

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 greater coordination on border management, joint surveys, trade and cross-border connectivity.

The commission was created under the 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System. The agreement 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. Its purpose is to oversee the implementation of arrangements related to the management of the Pakistan-China border.

The mechanism will deal with practical matters along the frontier. These include the maintenance and inspection of the boundary, joint surveys and issues involving boundary markers.

It will also address the management of cross-border facilities. The commission can provide a platform for discussing incidents and other issues arising along the border.

The activation of the commission is also significant for trade and movement between Pakistan and China. The Khunjerab crossing is an important route for bilateral trade and travel.

The border is also linked to connectivity projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Officials said the new mechanism would allow both countries to maintain regular coordination on issues affecting the shared frontier.

The commission should not be confused with an earlier boundary body created after the 1963 Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement.

The earlier Joint Boundary Demarcation Commission had a specific mandate. It was responsible for conducting surveys, placing boundary markers, preparing maps and determining 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 contained a provision concerning the Kashmir dispute. It stated that after a settlement between Pakistan and India, the relevant sovereign authority would reopen negotiations with China regarding the boundary.

The 2013 agreement has a different purpose. It established a continuing framework for managing the already demarcated border.

The agreement also contains provisions concerning boundary markers and cross-border infrastructure.

Under its provisions, if a boundary marker cannot be restored at its original location, the joint commission can determine another suitable location. However, the boundary line itself cannot be changed through that process.

India has rejected the newly activated mechanism.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had seen reports about the commission. He reiterated India’s position that it does not recognise a Pakistan-China boundary in the area concerned and described the commission as lacking a legal basis.

Pakistan and China, meanwhile, view the commission as an institutional mechanism for managing their border relationship.

The activation is expected to help the two countries address practical border-related matters through regular consultations.