BEIJING, Aug 25: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday met Chinese Vice President Han Zhang in Beijing, with the two sides discussing measures to maintain peace along the India-China border and improve bilateral relations.
Doval arrived in the Chinese capital on Monday for a two-day visit to participate in the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the long standing boundary dispute. He is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is Beijing’s designated SR for the boundary negotiations.
According to the Indian Embassy, Doval and Han discussed strengthening peace and stability in the border areas and expanding cooperation between the two countries in economic, political and multilateral spheres. The discussions were held in line with understandings reached by the leadership of India and China.
The latest SR meeting assumes significance as it comes ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12 and 13.
The proposed visit could provide an opportunity for Xi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit and discuss measures aimed at improving bilateral relations.
India-China ties deteriorated sharply following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash and the subsequent military stand-off in eastern Ladakh. However, both countries have taken a series of steps in recent years to ease tensions and stabilise their relationship.
The boundary issue remains one of the most sensitive areas between New Delhi and Beijing, with disagreements also continuing over Arunachal Pradesh.
The Special Representatives mechanism was established in 2003 to seek a comprehensive solution to the 3,488-km India-China boundary dispute. Although the mechanism has not resolved the territorial issue, officials from both countries consider it an important platform for maintaining communication and managing differences.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that Doval and Wang would hold detailed discussions on the boundary question as well as bilateral, regional and international matters.
Lin described the SR dialogue as the principal channel for negotiations on the boundary issue and an important forum for communication on matters of mutual interest.
He said the two countries would continue discussions based on the common understandings reached by their leaders, with the objective of maintaining peace and stability in the border regions.
The previous, 24th round of SR talks was held in August last year. According to Beijing, the discussions involved candid exchanges on the boundary question and resulted in several areas of common understanding.
The latest dialogue is expected to focus on advancing those understandings while addressing unresolved issues along the frontier.
Doval and Wang are also expected to exchange views on broader bilateral relations and developments in the regional and international arena.