New Delhi: India and China on Saturday agreed that it is important to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas and stressed on approaching the boundary issue from the strategic perspective of bilateral ties.
During talks between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the decades-old Sino-India boundary issue under the framework of Special Representatives dialogue, the two sides also resolved to intensify efforts to achieve fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to boundary question
The Ministry of External Affairs said the talks were constructive with focus on taking forward bilateral developmental partnership.
There was consensus that both sides should respect each other’s sensitivities and concerns, the MEA said in a statement.
Both sides agreed that it is important to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas and underlined the importance of approaching the boundary issue from strategic perspective of India-China ties, it said.
The two sides agreed that early settlement of boundary issue serves fundamental interests of both countries, the MEA said.
Wang arrived here on Friday night for the talks.
Officials said various dimensions of the boundary issue were discussed at the talks while both sides resolved to maintain peace and tranquillity along the around 3,500-km border.
It is the first high-level visit from China to India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held the second informal summit in Mamallapuram in October as well as after New Delhi pulled out of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Doval and Wang are the designated Special Representatives of the two countries for the boundary talks.
Also read: China likely to bring up Kashmir at UNSC but France, Germany ‘not ready’ to discuss issue
This report indicates nothing has happened during the talk! China is not interested in settling the issue and it just delaying the final resolution. In any case, Indian defense is getting stronger with border infrastructure getting improved and overall defense capacity being enhanced. With India aligning itself gradually with Quad, we are in a better position in the Indian Ocean region as well. So we should be fine in having routine dialogue going on and maintaining the facade of peace. It is China which is losing its edge over India by such delayed tactics. If Modi were to go for drastic economic reforms and ensure reduced trade deficit with China by increasing Make in India (Why should we should bear USD 70 billion deficit with China but rather have reduced taxes on Indian industry?), it is China which will stand to lose out in the long run.