India, China step up border dialogue

New Delhi: Senior officials of India and China discussed delimitation, border management, mechanism building and cross-border cooperation at a meeting on Wednesday in Beijing. Both sides also decided to prepare for National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's upcoming visit to China.During the 35th meeting of the working mechanism for consultation and coordination on India-China border affairs, the Indian side stressed on an early meeting of the next expert level mechanism on trans-border rivers.The two sides also agreed to work together to make "substantive preparation" for the next meeting of special representatives (SRs) which would not only focus on border issues but also other geopolitical matters including regional issues. The meeting-if held prior to Chinese President Xi Jinping's India trip for the September 12-13 Brics Summit- will help to prepare for a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the summit.Also read | Billionaire's FOMO: Ultra-rich pouring money into AI stack"The discussions were constructive and forward looking," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. "The two sides reviewed the situation in the border areas. They expressed satisfaction with the progress made in maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas, which has enabled progress towards gradual normalisation of bilateral relations."Both sides also decided to maintain regular exchanges and contacts at the diplomatic and military levels through mechanisms including those agreed upon as part of outcomes of the 24th special representative talks in New Delhi in August last year. That meeting between Doval and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi produced a number of outcomes to maintain peace along the border.Also read | A blueprint for West Bengal’s evolution from an entrepot to a production hubIndia and China initiated several measures in the last more than a year to rebuild bilateral ties that came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in early 2020 and the subsequent military face-off for more than four years.Several direct flights have been resumed between the two countries as well as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as confidence building measures. There has been renewed interest from the Indian business community to expand their commercial ties even as the country's trade deficit continues to widen.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/N6vP4id