India, China to resume border talks after 5-year hiatus
India and China will restart their Special Representative Dialogue on border disputes after a gap of five years. The talks will take place in Beijing on Wednesday. The meeting, which is the 23rd round of talks under a mechanism set up in 2003, seeks to preserve peace along the 3,488km Line of Actual Control (LAC) and find a mutually acceptable solution to the boundary dispute.
Talks follow breakthrough at Kazan BRICS meeting
The resumption of talks comes after a major breakthrough reached during the Kazan BRICS meeting on October 24. At the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping resolved disengagement issues at Demchok and Depsang Bulge in East Ladakh, paving the way for both armies to resume mandatory border patrolling activities. Since November, both nations have shown renewed enthusiasm to improve ties with a focus on resolving boundary issues as a priority.
Ministry of External Affairs confirms focus of talks
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed the talks will focus on maintaining peace along the border and reaching a fair resolution of the boundary dispute. "Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor and India's Special Representative (SR) on the India-China boundary question, will hold the 23rd meeting of the SRs in Beijing on December 18 with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi," the MEA said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirms meeting
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian also confirmed the meeting, saying that "Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will meet on Wednesday in Beijing to discuss the China-India boundary question." The decision to revive this dialogue was taken during a nearly 50-minute meeting between Modi and Xi at the BRICS Summit in Kazan.
India's commitment to engaging with China
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reiterated India's willingness to engage with China for a fair settlement of the boundary issue. He said India's ties with China hinge on respecting the LAC's sanctity and following border management agreements without unilaterally changing the status quo. The upcoming talks seek to build on positive momentum from recent disengagement efforts and resolve remaining issues along the contested East Ladakh LAC.
