National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval is expected to visit China in the coming weeks to take forward discussions on addressing the long-standing border dispute following disengagement of forces on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), people familiar with the matter said.
The two sides are working to firm up dates for the visit and the NSA could visit Beijing for talks under the mechanism of Special Representatives on the border issue by the end the year or early in January, the people said on condition of anonymity.
ALSO READ | India-China détente: Cautious optimism over outright enthusiasm
Doval’s counterpart in the Special Representatives mechanism is Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Doval and Wang last met on the margins of a multilateral meeting in the Russian city of St Petersburg on September 12, when the two sides were firming up the arrangements that led to the understanding on October 21 on disengagement of frontline forces at the two “friction points” of Demchok and Depsang.
The upcoming meeting between the Special Representatives will follow meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the Brics Summit in Kazan on October 23, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and foreign minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18, and defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers-Plus meeting in Vientiane on November 20.
{{/usCountry}}The upcoming meeting between the Special Representatives will follow meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the Brics Summit in Kazan on October 23, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and foreign minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on November 18, and defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers-Plus meeting in Vientiane on November 20.
{{/usCountry}}ALSO READ | 'Other steps could happen': S Jaishankar on thaw in India-China relationship
Modi and Xi had decided during their meeting to revive several mechanisms, including meetings of the Special Representatives, to address the border issue and normalise bilateral relations. Since then, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs met in New Delhi on December 5 and agreed on maintaining peace and tranquillity on the disputed frontier in line with bilateral agreements and protocols.
The Special Representatives mechanism was created in 2003 to explore the “framework of a boundary settlement”. Since then, 22 formal rounds of talks have been held under the mechanism, the last being in 2019. During the military standoff on the LAC that began in April-May 2020, the Special Representatives held talks several times to find ways to end the face-off.
The standoff, and a brutal clash at Galwan Valley in June the same year that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, had taken bilateral ties to their lowest point since the 1962 border war.