Doval in Beijing to attend India-China Special Representatives’ talks

Source: The Hindu | Original Published At: 2024-12-17 17:52:00 UTC

Key Points

• Ajit Doval arrives in Beijing for India-China Special Representatives’ talks on December 18, 2024
• Discussions focus on restoring bilateral ties post-Ladakh standoff and implementing October 2024 disengagement agreement
• China reaffirms commitment to Modi-Xi Kazan summit agreements on border peace and bilateral relations
• First structured engagement since 2020 Ladakh standoff; mechanism has met 22 times since 2003 without resolving border dispute

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Tuesday (December 17, 2024) to take part in the India-China Special Representatives’ talks to be held on Wednesday (December 18, 2024) aimed at restoring the bilateral ties stalled for over four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Mr. Doval will hold the 23rd round of the Special Representatives (SR) talks with his Chinese counterpart and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and is expected to discuss a range of issues to rebuild the bilateral ties following the October 21 agreement of disengagement and patrolling in eastern Ladakh between the two countries.

Also | More debates on China and LAC agreement post-2020 than earlier: Jaishankar defends government against charges of secrecy

Ahead of crucial talks, China on Tuesday said that it is ready to honour commitments based on the common understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Kazan in Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS summit on October 24.

“China stands ready to work with India to deliver on important common understandings reached between our two leaders, enhance mutual trust and confidence through dialogue and communication, honour our commitments and promote our bilateral relations to go back to the sound and steady growth,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing when asked about SR talks.

On Monday, the External Affairs Ministry said, “As agreed during the meeting of the two leaders in Kazan on October 23, the two SRs will discuss the management of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.”

After the Modi-Xi meeting, which was their first after five years, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Brazil followed by a meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on China-India Border Affairs (WMCC).

The military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and was followed by a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June of that year resulting in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.

Barring trade, relations between the two countries virtually came to a standstill.

The face-off effectively ended following the completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21.

The upcoming SRs meeting is regarded as significant as it is the first structured engagement between the two countries to restore relations.

Constituted in 2003 to comprehensively address the vexed dispute of the India-China border spanning 3,488 km, the SRs mechanism over the years met 22 times.

While success eluded it in resolving the boundary dispute, officials on both sides regard it as a very promising, useful and handy tool in addressing the recurring tensions between the two countries.