E-Paper
On China, India says border dispute should not cloud bilateral ties
The Special Representatives of the two countries on the border issue – National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and State Councillor Wang Yi – met in New Delhi last month and agreed to intensify efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution and to work on more confidence-building measures (CBM).
India on Thursday said that even as negotiations continue to settle the border dispute with China, the two sides should ensure the issue does not “cloud the overall relationship”.
The Special Representatives of the two countries on the border issue – National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and State Councillor Wang Yi – met in New Delhi last month and agreed to intensify efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution and to work on more confidence-building measures (CBM).
China proposed some “early harvest” proposals, including an agreement to settle the border in the Sikkim sector, though India linked this to progress on the middle sector of the boundary in Uttarakhand.
Answering a question at a regular news briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar refused to go into details of the “early harvest” proposals or other aspects of the negotiations and said both sides would have to ensure that the border dispute didn’t “cloud the overall relationship”.
“There was a feeling it (border issue) should be addressed from a strategic perspective of India-China relations. While discussions continue under the Special Representatives framework, there should be peace and tranquillity on the border,” he said.
A proper discussion on the boundary issue is “important for the overall development of the bilateral relationship”, he said. “Keeping the overall umbrella of the relationship in mind, it is important for India and China to work together and cooperate together,” he added.
