India and China appear to be inching closer to talks on where their disputed border should run, a small but significant sign that both sides want to build on a thaw that has been taking shape after years of tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
That effort was on display on Tuesday when National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing for the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on the boundary question. The timing is notable. Chinese President Xi Jinping is due in New Delhi next month for the BRICS Summit on September 12, his first visit to India in seven years, adding weight to the latest round of talks.
Doval described bilateral ties as “steadily returning to normalcy”, a reference to the sharp deterioration in relations following the 2020 military clash in eastern Ladakh. He also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi with providing “clear and positive direction” to the relationship.
They held extensive discussions on Tuesday, beginning with a smaller meeting that lasted more than 90 minutes and followed by a longer delegation-level session that continued into the evening.
Most of the discussions, according to Doval, focussed on preserving peace along the border and finding ways to reinforce and consolidate the stability achieved so far. Wang said progress had been made on commitments from the previous round of talks, including delimitation, border management, institutional exchanges and cross-border cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed the 2005 Political Guiding Principles, which remain the framework for boundary negotiations, and agreed to continue using the Special Representatives’ mechanism to work toward a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable package solution”.
Earlier, Doval also met with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng.
