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India and China held another round of talks on the vexed boundary issue but failed to exchange sample maps of the western sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as planned, official sources said in Beijing on Wednesday.
Asked to comment on the 12th round of discussions by the Expert Group on the boundary issue held in Beijing on Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry said the two sides exchanged views on the sample map of the LAC on the western sector in a very frank atmosphere.
"They also exchanged views on the building up of trust and implementation of the confidence building measures between the two sides," a senior Chinese official said.
However, he did not respond when asked specifically whether the two sides exchanged sample maps of the western sector of the LAC as planned during earlier high-level meetings.
Official sources later revealed that 'due to some problems', the two sides could not exchange the sample maps.
External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, during his visit to China in March, said the two sides have agreed to exchange sample maps at the 12th round of the Expert Group meeting and had expressed satisfaction at the clarification and confirmation of the LAC.
He had also said that both sides would do their best to complete the exchange by the end of 2002 and begin the exchange of sample maps of the LAC on the eastern sector by early 2003.
EARLIER REPORT India, China make progress on LAC issue
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