NEW DELHI: India and China shared the view that peace and tranquility has been maintained in the border areas since the 23rd round of border talks were held in Beijing last December at the Special Representatives level. The two sides agreed that peaceful border areas were pre-requisite to promote overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship which came under severe strain after the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.
Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries and in a positive and constructive spirit, the two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on Tuesday on India-China boundary question, and the two Special Representatives – National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi – after holding 24th round of talks agreed on five key points, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. The next round of the SR talks would be held in China.
NSA Doval said there has been an “upward trend” in India-China relations in the past nine months as peace and tranquillity prevailed along the border as he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on de-escalation of the frontier and related issues.
The two SRs stressed upon the need to take a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question signed in 2005.
According to the MEA statement, the SRs agreed to use the border management mechanisms at diplomatic and military levels to carry forward the process of border management, and discuss de-escalation, beginning with the principles and modalities thereof.
The two sides agreed to set up an expert group, under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), to explore early harvest in boundary delimitation in the India-China border areas; to set up a Working Group, under the WMCC, to advance effective border management in order to maintain peace and tranquility in India-China border areas
They also emphasised the creation of General Level Mechanisms in Eastern, and Middle Sectors, in addition to the existing General Level Mechanism in Western Sector, and holding an early meeting of the General Level Mechanism in the Western Sector. The MEA said the discussions at the SR dialogue mainly covered issues related to “de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs”.
In a readout, the MEA said the Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and recalled that one of the original objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was to counter the evil of terrorism. China is hosting the annual SCO summit in less than a fortnight.
During his talks with his Chinese counterpart, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar underlined India’s concerns with regard to the construction of a mega dam by China in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra river) as it will have implications for lower riparian states, it said, adding the need for utmost transparency in this regard was strongly underlined.
Wang landed in Delhi on Monday on a two-day visit and his trip is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley clashes five years ago.
In his televised opening remarks, the NSA recalled his visit to Beijing in December last for the 23rd round of SR talks and said there has been an “upward trend” in the ties between the two sides since then. “Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, our bilateral engagements have been more substantial,” he said.
Doval also formally announced that Modi will visit China to attend the SCO Summit, to be held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1 and noted that the SR level talks have assumed a “very special importance” in view of the trip.
The NSA also made a mention of the talks between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of a multilateral event in the Russian city of Kazan in October last year, adding that both sides benefited a lot since then.
“The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we were working on,” Doval said.
The Modi-Xi meeting took place two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for the remaining two friction points of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh. The two leaders had decided to revive several mechanisms, including talks between the SRs to normalise bilateral ties.
In his remarks, the Chinese foreign minister said the two sides should “increase mutual trust through strategic communication, expand common interest through exchanges and cooperation, and properly settle the specific issues” along the borders.
“Now the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the Prime Minister’s visit to China to attend the SCO Summit at our invitation,” Wang said.
The MEA said the discussions between the two foreign ministers covered bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest.
The Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, recalling that one of the original objectives of the SCO was to counter the evil of terrorism, it said. Minister Wang Yi concurred that countering terrorism should be given the highest priority, it added. Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they are yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border.
Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region. The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and the clashes at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in bilateral ties.
The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year.
In the last few months, the two sides also initiated a number of initiatives to rebuild the ties that included the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and New Delhi restarting issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi following the latter’s series of high-level talks in the capital earlier, as New Delhi and Beijing work towards stabilising and strengthening bilateral ties between the Asian giants.
During the meeting, PM Modi highlighted the steadily improving ties between the two nations and accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit later this month. “Glad to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, India-China relations have made steady progress guided by respect for each other’s interests and sensitivities,” the Prime Minister said after the meeting.
He added, “I look forward to our next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity”.
The Prime Minister, during the meeting, underlined that stable, predictable, and constructive relations would significantly contribute to regional and global peace and prosperity.