India-China agree to continue to maintain peace at borders, promote stable ties

BEIJING, Dec 18: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Wednesday held “substantive discussions” during the Special Representatives dialogue here and reached a six-point consensus, including continuing to take measures to maintain peace at borders and promote healthy and stable development of relations.
During their meeting, the first after a gap of five years, both sides positively evaluated the solution reached between the two countries on border issues and reiterated that the implementation work should continue, according to a press release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Both officials believed that the border issue should be properly handled from the overall situation of bilateral ties so as not to affect the development of relations, it said.
Both sides agreed to continue to take measures to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, it said.
The two sides reiterated their commitment to continue seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable package solution to the boundary issue in accordance with the political guidelines agreed upon by the Special Representatives of the two countries on resolving the boundary issue in 2005, and to take positive measures to promote this process, it said.
The two sides assessed the border situation and agreed to further refine the management and control rules in the border area, strengthen confidence-building measures, and achieve sustainable peace and tranquillity on the border, it said.
The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cross-border exchanges and cooperation, and promote the resumption of Indian pilgrims’ pilgrimage to Tibet, China, cross-border river cooperation and Nathula border trade, it said.
Both sides also agreed to further strengthen the Special Representatives’ mechanism, bolster diplomatic and military negotiation coordination and cooperation, and requiring the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on China-India Border Affairs (WMCC) to do a good job in the follow-up implementation of the decisions reached special representatives’ meeting, it said.
The two sides agreed to hold a new round of Special Representatives’ meetings in India next year, and the specific time will be determined through diplomatic channels. In addition, the two sides also had an extensive and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral, international and regional issues of common concern, emphasising the importance of a stable, predictable and good China-India relationship to international and regional peace and stability, it said.
Wang said that leaders of the two countries insisted on viewing relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, and clarified the direction for the restoration and development of China-India relations at a critical moment, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a separate press release. (PTI)