BEIJING: India may return a detained Chinese soldier because the soldier very likely got lost at the border.

The incident will not cause new conflicts in the border areas, and solving the matter will also signal new progress in the bilateral negotiations, the sources said.

China and India share a long border with many parts of it uninhabited for different reasons. Without reference indicators or the proper tools, it is easy to get lost. In fact, several similar incidents involving lost soldiers from both sides have occurred previously, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing told the Global Times.

The common procedures after a missing soldier is found from the other side include confirming his identity, conducting the necessary checks and notifying the other side, Qian said, noting that China and India have so far followed the correct procedure in dealing with the incident.

The incident would not affect the upcoming round of talks between the two militaries, Qian said. The two sides have been working together to solve the incident and send back the missing soldiers.