India, China Special Representatives Meet in Beijing to Advance Boundary Talks
India and China's special representatives held talks in Beijing on Tuesday, focusing on boundary delimitation and maintaining peace along the border.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, serving as the special representatives on the boundary question, held talks in Beijing on Tuesday. The discussions centered on advancing boundary delimitation while sustaining ongoing transboundary cooperation, according to the Indian embassy.
Before the main talks, Doval met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. The Chinese side urged India to approach the bilateral relationship from a strategic, long-term perspective and to manage differences properly. India's readout of that meeting highlighted discussions on strengthening peace and tranquillity in border areas and improving overall bilateral ties.
During his opening remarks, Doval noted that the relationship has been steadily returning to normalcy over the past year, attributing this to both sides maintaining peace along the border.
Following the Doval-Wang meeting, both sides positively reviewed the momentum in bilateral relations, consistent with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. They agreed to expand cooperation, ensure border stability, and make progress on boundary delimitation.
The Ministry of External Affairs described the exchange as candid and in-depth, with both sides agreeing to continue seeking a political settlement of the boundary question. They noted progress in implementing consensus reached at the Kazan and Tianjin summits and expressed satisfaction with the resumption of people-to-people exchanges, including the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and border trade.
China's Foreign Ministry readout mentioned in-depth discussions on border demarcation, border control mechanisms, and cross-border cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the 2005 political guiding principles and to seeking a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution.
The meetings also set the stage for a likely visit by President Xi Jinping to India for the BRICS summit in September.