National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the India and China Special Representatives for the border mechanism met in Beijing on Wednesday today. During their talks in the day, the two leaders will discuss a range of issues, including management of peace and tranquillity along Line of Actual Control (LAC) and restoration of bilateral ties frozen for more than four years due to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Doval is heading the Indian delegation that arrived on Tuesday to take part in the 23rd round of the Special Representatives’ talks that is being held after a gap of five years. The last meeting was held in 2019 in Delhi.

The Special Representatives talks today began at 10 am China time (7:30 am IST).

Ahead of Doval-Wang Yi meeting, China expressed that it is ready to work with India and bring bilateral relations back on track at the earliest.

The Xi Jinping government said that it is ready to work with India to “deliver on important common understandings reached between our two leaders” and “enhance mutual trust and mutual confidence.”

Responding to a query on the Special Representative talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told the media on Tuesday: “China stands ready to work with India to deliver on important common understandings reached between our two leaders, enhance mutual trust and mutual confidence through dialogue and communication, honour our commitments and promote our bilateral relations to go back to the sound and steady growth.”

Jian’s statement did not make any specific reference to the military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, but focused on “important common understandings” and “honour commitments” — a reference to the border patrolling arrangement announced on October 21 which was followed by a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Brics Summit on October 23 in Russian city Kazan.

In the 23rd round of Special Representative talks, Doval and Wang are expected to discuss a range of issues to rebuild India-China ties which dived south following Chinese incursions in eastern Ladakh in 2020.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed that the two Special Representatives will discuss the management of peace and tranquility in the border areas and explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.

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The MEA on Monday night 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 tranquility in the border areas and explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.”

The Special Representative talks on December 18 also comes less than a fortnight after India and China held official-level talks in New Delhi, following troop disengagement at two friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

The Special Representatives mechanism was constituted in 2003 to comprehensively address the dispute of the India-China border spanning to 3,488 kms. They have met 22 times so far.

The Special Representative talks today are taking place after a gap of five years. The last meeting was held in 2019.

However, the relations between India and China soured since the violent Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh along the LAC which was sparked by Chinese military actions. It led to prolonged tensions between the two nations.

Barring trade, relations between India and China virtually came to a standstill.

After years of negotiations, the two countries reached an agreement on October 21 regarding disengagement in Demchok and Depsang areas and patrolling arrangements along the LAC. The two sides also resumed patrolling activities in the two areas after a gap of almost four-and-a-half years.

With inputs from agencies.

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Ajit Doval holds talks with Wang Yi as India and China focus on border peace, bilateral ties