Pakistan, China Activate Joint Border Commission to Strengthen Border Management

ISLAMABAD (Nazrana Times): Pakistan and China have formally operationalised the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission, establishing a regular institutional mechanism to coordinate practical matters along their shared frontier.

The inaugural meeting of the commission was held at Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and was co-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. (Dawn ePaper⁠)

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the commission is intended to strengthen cooperation in border management, joint border surveys, trade flows and people-to-people connectivity.

Commission Established Under 2013 Agreement

The commission originates from the 2013 Agreement on the Boundary Management System, signed during the visit of then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Islamabad. Article 45 of that agreement provides for the establishment of a joint commission to oversee implementation of border-management arrangements. (Dawn⁠)

Under the mechanism, officials from Pakistan and China can coordinate on practical frontier issues including the inspection and maintenance of the boundary, joint surveys, boundary markers, cross-border facilities and incidents arising along the border.

The commission also creates a framework for regular coordination concerning movement and trade through the Khunjerab crossing, an important land connection between Pakistan and China. The crossing is also relevant to connectivity associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). (Dawn⁠)

Different From 1963 Demarcation Commission

The newly operationalised body is distinct from the Joint Boundary Demarcation Commission established following the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement.

That earlier commission was created for a specific demarcation process involving surveys, boundary markers and maps. The current mechanism, by contrast, stems from the 2013 agreement and is designed as a continuing framework for managing practical issues along the existing boundary arrangements. (Dawn ePaper⁠)

This means the latest development is primarily an administrative and border-management mechanism rather than the negotiation of a new territorial settlement.

India Reiterates Objection

India has objected to the newly operationalised commission and maintains its longstanding position that it does not recognise the Pakistan-China boundary arrangements concerning territory claimed by India.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has also consistently maintained that it does not recognise the 1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement, describing it as illegal and invalid and asserting that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India. (Ministry of External Affairs⁠)
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s objection following reports about the new commission, saying India rejects the mechanism and disputes its legal basis. (Dawn⁠)

Pakistan rejects India’s position. In a Foreign Office briefing on January 15, 2026, Islamabad said India had “no locus standi” to comment on Pakistan’s bilateral agreements with China and reiterated Pakistan’s own position regarding Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (mofa.gov.pk⁠)

The competing territorial positions therefore remain unchanged. The newly operationalised commission provides Pakistan and China with an institutional mechanism for managing practical border matters while the wider territorial claims involving Pakistan, India and China remain contested.