NSA Doval arrives in Beijing for Special Representatives’ Talks on India-China Boundary Question

New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Monday for a two-day visit to attend the 25th Round of Special Representatives’ Talks on the India-China Boundary Question.

NSA Doval, India’s Special Representative (SR) on the India-China Boundary Question, travelled to Beijing at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. NSA Shri Doval and Wang Yi, who is China’s Special Representative, will hold the 25th round of the Special Representatives’ Talks on the India-China Boundary Question on Tuesday, according to the statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

During his visit, NSA Doval will call on Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

Earlier this month, on August 6, India and China held discussions on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism‑building and trans‑border cooperation.

The discussions were held during the 36th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India‑China Border Affairs (WMCC) in New Delhi, the MEA said in a statement.

“The two sides engaged in frank discussions and reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Further, it was underlined that maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations,” said the MEA.

Sujit Ghosh, Joint Secretary (East Asia), MEA, led the Indian delegation while the Chinese delegation was led by Hou Yanqi, Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, the officials of the two nations agreed to continue to use existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander‑level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC.

“As a follow up to the outcomes of 24th SR Talks, two sides held detailed exchanges on issues related to boundary delimitation, border management, mechanism‑building and trans‑border cooperation,” the MEA stated.

The Indian side reiterated the need for early convening of the next meeting of the Expert Level Mechanism on trans‑border rivers and stressed the importance of sharing technical details on upstream projects.

–IANS

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