Borders have been quiet, India-China ties more substantial now: NSA Doval at SR talks with Wang Yi

There has been an upward trend in India-China relations in the past nine months as peace and tranquillity prevailed along the border, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said on Tuesday as he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on de-escalation of the frontier and related issues. Doval and Wang held the 24th round of talks under the framework of the Special Representatives mechanism, a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his visiting Chinese counterpart. In a readout, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, and recalled that one of the original objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was to counter the evil of terrorism. China is hosting the annual SCO summit in less than a fortnight. Jaishankar also underlined India's concerns with regard to the construction of a mega dam by China in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra river) as it will have implications for lower riparian states, the MEA said, adding the need for utmost transparency in this regard was strongly underlined. The ministry also added that discussions at the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue covered issues related to de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs. As Wang Yi meets Modi, India and China signal cautious reset amid export assurances, border talks Wang landed in Delhi on Monday on a two-day visit and his trip is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. In his televised opening remarks, the NSA recalled his visit to Beijing in December last for the previous round of SR talks and said there has been an upward trend in the ties between the two sides since then. Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, our bilateral engagements have been more substantial, he said. Doval also formally announced that Modi will visit China to attend the SCO Summit , to be held in Tianjin on August 31 and September 1 and noted that the Special Representatives talks have assumed a very special importance in view of the trip. The NSA also made a mention of the talks between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of a multilateral event in the Russian city of Kazan in October last year, adding that both sides benefited a lot since then. The new environment that has been created has helped us in moving ahead in the various areas that we were working on, Doval said. The Modi-Xi meeting took place two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for the remaining two friction points of Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh. The two leaders had decided to revive several mechanisms, including talks between the Special Representatives, to normalise bilateral ties. In his remarks, the Chinese foreign minister said the two sides should increase mutual trust through strategic communication, expand common interest through exchanges and cooperation, and properly settle the specific issues along the borders. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders, Wang said. Now the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth. The Chinese side attaches great importance to the Prime Minister's visit to China to attend the SCO Summit at our invitation, he said. In its statement, the MEA said the discussions between the two foreign ministers covered bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest. The Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, recalling that one of the original objectives of the SCO was to counter the evil of terrorism, it said. Minister Wang Yi concurred that countering terrorism should be given the highest priority, it added. In the SR talks, both sides deliberated on maintaining peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they are yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region. The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and the clashes at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in bilateral ties. The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year. In the last few months, the two sides also initiated a number of initiatives to rebuild the ties that included the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and New Delhi restarting issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals. China assures India of critical exports as both sides move to reset ties