National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold India-China talks
new Delhi:
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks today on other key issues focusing on the geopolitical implications of the Ladakh standoff and the crisis in Ukraine.
The Chinese Foreign Minister arrived in Delhi last evening. This is the first visit by a senior Chinese minister and the highest-level talks between India and China since the military standoff began in Ladakh two years ago.
Sources told NDTV that Wang Yi reached Doval’s office around 10 am for talks and the discussions took place in a cordial atmosphere. Some of the key points that were discussed included the need to pursue prompt and complete disengagement in the remaining areas in Ladakh and the removal of obstacles to allow the bilateral relationship to take its natural course.
The boundary issue figured prominently in the meeting between Mr. Wang and Mr. Doval as he is serving as the Special Representative for the border talks between the two countries.
Both the officers also agreed that it is not in mutual interest to continue with the current situation. They agreed that restoration of peace and tranquility would help build mutual trust and create a conducive environment for progress in the relationship.
They also discussed the need to continue positive dialogue at the diplomatic and military levels. They agreed that the ground action should not violate the spirit of equal and mutual security.
The Chinese delegation also invited NSA Ajit Doval to China to take forward the mandate of the Special Representatives. To this, Mr. Doval responded positively and said that he can visit after successfully resolving the urgent issues between the two sides.
After his meeting with Mr. Doval, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar for talks at Hyderabad House in Delhi.
India and China are holding high-level military talks to resolve the face-off in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh. After talks at the military and diplomatic levels, the two sides withdrew troops from some friction points.
On March 11, India and China held the 15th round of high-level military talks to resolve pending issues in the eastern Ladakh region. However, there was no further momentum in the talks aimed at resolving the remaining issues.
A standoff broke out between Indian and Chinese armies on May 5, 2020, following violent clashes in the Pangong Lake areas.
The face-off escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020. 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers were killed in the clashes.
Both sides gradually increased their deployment by carrying thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weapons.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides last year completed the separation process on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Lake and the Gogra region. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive area.