China, India to hold border talks this week

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‍China-India relations have shown a "sound momentum of development" as the Asian neighbors have "properly managed disputes through dialogues and consultations," China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Wednesday while announcing that the two countries will hold the 21st round of border talks on Friday and Saturday.

India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will hold discussions on November 23 to 24 with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the 21st Special Representatives' Meeting on the China-India Boundary Question to be held in Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Geng announced at the foreign ministry's regular press conference in Beijing.

Both Doval and Wang are designated Special Representatives for the border talks. Pointing out that this will be the first round of talks for Wang, who earlier this year succeeded State Councilor Yang Jiechi, the spokesperson stressed that both sides are attaching great importance to the meeting.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang addresses a press conference in Beijing, November 21, 2018. /Photo via China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

"The special representatives of the two countries will exchange views in depth on the boundary issue. Following the spirit of the consensus the leaders of the two countries have reached, proceeding from the overall situation of the bilateral relations and welfare of the two peoples, they will actively advance the negotiation process based on the achievements the two sides have made," Geng said.

"At the same time, the two sides will properly manage the border dispute and maintain peace and stability in the border areas. I have also learned that the two sides will exchange views on major issues of China-India relations and international and regional affairs of common concerns," he added.

Geng also emphasized that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "since the start of this year, China-India relations have demonstrated a sound momentum of development."

"Exchanges and cooperation in various fields have been deepening. The two sides have maintained close communication and coordination on boundary-related affairs and properly managed disputes through dialogues and consultations. Thus, the border areas of the two countries remain generally stable," he stressed.

A three-step process

The mechanism of special representatives' talks was created during India's former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's China visit in 2003. It was a significant elevation from the previous official-level joint working group meetings. Vajpayee, who passed away earlier this year, has been credited for leaving behind a lasting legacy in China-India relations.

The special representatives' mechanism envisioned a three-step process for resolving border issues. New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement on guiding principles and setting political parameters for a settlement in 2005. Currently, the countries are negotiating the second phase of working out a settlement framework, which will be followed by the final step of drawing a border line based on the framework agreement.

The Asian neighbors have so far held 20 rounds of special representatives' talks in 15 years, the last of which was held in New Delhi in December 2017. Led by Yang Jiechi and Ajit Doval, both sides agreed to maintain peace and stability along the border and create favorable conditions for the further development of the bilateral relationship in those talks, which were the first since the 73-day Donglang border standoff earlier that year.

China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi (left) and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the beginning of the 21st Special Representatives' Meeting on the China-India Boundary Question in New Delhi, December 22, 2017. /Photo via India's Ministry of External Affairs

The Yang-Doval talks are believed to have paved the way for the informal summit between Xi and Modi at Wuhan in April, leading to the normalization of ties. Beijing and New Delhi have seen an increased level of engagement in all spheres ever since, giving a new boost to the bilateral relations.

This week's high-level talks will take the dialogue forward from the 12th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on China-India Border Affairs, which was also held in Chengdu in September and was attended by officials from the foreign and defense ministries of both countries.

The Chinese delegation was led by Yi Xianliang, head of the department of boundary and oceanic affairs in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Indian delegation was led by Pranay Verma, the joint secretary (East Asia) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

The WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for management of China-India border areas, as well as to exchange views on strengthening communication and cooperation, including between their border security personnel.

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with Special Envoy of Prime Minister of India and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, September 9, 2014. /Photo via Chinese Foreign Ministry)

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