India and China Reach 8-Point Consensus in Boundary Talks
Beijing: India and China have reached an eight-point consensus during the 25th round of Special Representatives talks on the Boundary Question held in Beijing.
The meeting was co-chaired by India’s Special Representative and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Special Representative Wang Yi, who is also a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs. Officials described the discussions as candid and in-depth.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to follow the strategic guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries, to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and to create a conducive atmosphere for the healthy and steady development of bilateral relations. They also underlined their commitment to advance negotiations for a framework settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles signed in 2005 and the consensus reached in subsequent rounds of SR talks, with the objective of achieving a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution.
To take this forward, it was decided that the Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and the Working Group on Border Management under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs will advance discussions on an early and substantial harvest of boundary delimitation, with the immediate task of finalising their terms of reference.
On management of the situation on the ground, both sides agreed that any developments would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels including the WMCC and local commander-level meetings to resolve outstanding issues and to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the Line of Actual Control. Discussions were also held on improving common understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas for better border management.
For strengthening border management measures, two additional meeting points for the General Level Mechanism and Senior Highest Military Commander meeting were agreed upon, along with two additional border military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle sectors. Both sides also reviewed trans-border cooperation and appreciated the reopening of three designated border trading points.
The Indian side thanked China for increasing the number of batches for the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra and both agreed to enhance cooperation in border trade and pilgrimage to foster an atmosphere of dialogue and peace. They will hold the next Expert-Level Mechanism on trans-border rivers in September to discuss hydrological data sharing and renewal of MoUs. The 26th round of SR talks will be held in India in 2027.
