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China says ready for talks with India to manage, delimit disputed border
It comes four days after Indian defence minister met his Chinese counterpart and emphasised the need for a permanent solution to the border dispute
New Delhi: China on Monday responded to Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh’s call for a fresh push to demarcate the disputed boundary between the two countries by saying that it is ready for discussions on managing and delimiting the border.
The remarks by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning came four days after Singh met his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun and emphasised the need for a permanent solution to the border dispute.
“China stands ready to maintain communication with India on issues including delimitation negotiation and border management, jointly keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil, and promote cross-border exchange and cooperation,” Mao told a media briefing in Beijing while responding to a question on Singh’s comments.
Since India and China reached an understanding last October to end a four-year military face-off in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the two sides have held a series of meetings to normalise their relations and to address the border issue. This has included meetings between the Special Representatives on the border issue, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
Mao acknowledged the border dispute would take time to resolve and hoped India will work with China to manage the border areas and keep them peaceful.
“The boundary question is complicated, and it takes time to settle it. The positive side is that the two countries have already established mechanisms at various levels for thorough communication,” she said. “We hope that India will work with China in the same direction, continue to stay in communication on relevant issues and jointly keep the border areas peaceful and tranquil.”
An intense clash between the two sides at Galwan Valley in June 2020 had killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops and taken bilateral ties to their lowest point in six decades.
Mao also pointed to various measures initiated by the two sides to address the border issue, including the mechanism of Special Representatives and the Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the China-India Boundary Question. The two sides also have diplomatic and military communication mechanisms at various levels, she said.
When Singh met his Chinese counterpart on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in Qingdao on June 26, he highlighted the need for solving “complex issues through a structured roadmap of permanent engagement and de-escalation”.
Singh also stressed on border management and the need for a “permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue”, according to a readout from India’s defence ministry.
He called for “bridging the trust deficit” created by the 2020 border standoff by taking action on the ground. Singh emphasised “good neighbourly conditions to achieve best mutual benefits” and to cooperate for stability in Asia and the world.
The readout said Singh and Dong agreed to continue consultations to achieve progress on troop disengagement, de-escalation, border management and “eventual de-limitation through existing mechanisms”.
As part of the ongoing process of normalising relations, India and China recently resumed the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in the Tibet region. They are also engaged in talks on resuming direct flights.
