India and China agreed to work together to make “substantial preparation” for the next meeting of their Special Representatives (SR) on the boundary question that is set to be held in the national capital later this year. India and China held talks, focusing on ways to ease tensions along the border and resume cross-border cooperation.
India, China Held Diplomatic Talks Review LAC Status
Why In News
- India and China agreed to work together to make “substantial preparation” for the next meeting of their Special Representatives (SR) on the boundary question that is set to be held in the national capital later this year. India and China held talks, focusing on ways to ease tensions along the border and resume cross-border cooperation.
- A key focus of the talks was restarting cross-border cooperation, particularly on trans-border rivers and the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra. Both countries decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, stopped since 2020, in January this year. The decision was taken at a fresh edition of talks held in Beijing under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs.
WMCC Meeting
- Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the WMCC meeting was held in a “positive and constructive atmosphere” and both sides “comprehensively” reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control.
- “The two sides agreed to work together to make substantial preparation for the next meeting of the Special Representatives (SR), which will be held in India later this year,” it said in a statement.
Talks on LAC
- After the meeting, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the WMCC meeting was held in a “positive and constructive atmosphere” and both sides “comprehensively” reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control. “The two sides agreed to work together to make substantial preparation for the next meeting of the Special Representatives (SR), which will be held in India later this year,” it said in a statement.
- The bilateral talks in Beijing were held under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC). The MEA said peace and tranquillity on the border are critical for the smooth development of overall bilateral relations. “The two sides explored various measures and proposals to give effect to the decisions taken during the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question in Beijing in December 2024 and to advance effective border management,” it said.
- The Indian readout said the two sides agreed to maintain and strengthen relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this end. “They also exchanged views on early resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges, including on trans-border rivers and Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra,” the MEA said.
- The Indian delegation at the talks was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA. The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Other Important Facts
- NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Special Representatives of their respective countries, had met in December last year after PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping’s meeting in Kazan in October, which led to constructive engagements between both sides at various levels.
- The next meeting is slated to be held in India later this year for which the two sides agreed to work together to make “substantial preparation”, the MEA said. During the Doval-Wang Yi meet, the first SR meet since ties froze over frictions in border areas in 2020, the two had reiterated the importance of maintaining a political perspective of the overall bilateral ties while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question, and resolved to inject more vitality into this process.
- In January, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met his counterpart in China, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Wang Yi met on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg in February. The two had reviewed developments in bilateral ties, management of peace and tranquillity along border areas and the resumption of the yatra.
- During a recent podcast with Lex Fridman, PM Modi stressed that cooperation between both sides is essential for global stability and prosperity, and said, “… after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020. Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy will return.”
