Ajit Doval, Wang Yi Hold India-China Border Talks During Special Representatives’ Meet

New Delhi: National security advisor Ajit Doval on Saturday met with Chinese foreign minister and state councillor Wang Yi in Chengdu for the 21st round of special representatives’ talks.

The main focus of the meet was the border issue, which, as noted by the Ministry of External Affairs, was one of the core issues that needed to be dealt with peacefully.

“The Special Representatives agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary question, it is important to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and to ensure that the boundary question does not affect the overall development of the bilateral relationship. In this context, they noted the mature handling of issues relating to the India-China border areas since the Wuhan Summit,” the MEA noted.

The meeting is most likely to be the last meeting before India heads to polls next year. The 20th round of talks were held in India last year after the 73-day standoff between border troops at Doklam was resolved.

The current round of talks also acknowledged the predictability of border management and the representatives held various levels of discussion to promote exchanges and communication between border personnel. Doval and Yi further directed the bilateral working mechanism on Consultation and Coordination for Border Affairs to work out more details.

The SR talks put in place in 2003 aimed at resolving the border dispute in the best possible manner. This is Yi’s first talks as SR after he took over his predecessor Yang Jeichi earlier this year.

“The two Special Representatives underlined the importance of sustained and effective implementation of the directions given by their leaders with a view to further strengthening the Closer Developmental Partnership between India and China to mutual benefit and with due respect for each other’s sensitivities, concerns and aspirations. They shared the view that stable and balanced development of India-China relations is a positive factor for peace and prosperity in the region and the whole world,” the ministry said.