India, China agree on multi-point agenda to maintain border peace and tranquility
New Delhi, December 18. India and China on Wednesday reached a multi-point agreement on maintaining border peace and tranquility after the two Asian giants resolved the border conflict in eastern Ladakh October this year.
The decisions were taken during the 23rd Meeting of the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China, Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor, and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, respectively held in Beijing.
“Both SRs underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas to promote overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press release issued late Wednesday evening. “They emphasised the need to ensure peaceful conditions on the ground so that issues on the border do not hold back the normal development of bilateral relations. Drawing on the learnings from the events of 2020, they discussed various measures to maintain peace and tranquility on the border and advance effective border management. They decided to use, coordinate and guide the relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this purpose.”
The Ministry further stated that the SRs provided positive directions for cross-border cooperation and exchanges including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade.
“They agreed on the salience of stable, predictable and amicable India-China relations for regional and global peace and prosperity,” the Ministry further stated.
This was the first meeting of the SRs since the border conflict between the two countries erupted in eastern Ladakh in 2020.
“The SRs positively affirmed the implementation of the latest disengagement agreement of October 2024, resulting in patrolling and grazing in relevant areas,” the Ministry statement further reads.
During the course of his visit to Beijing, Doval also called on Han Zheng, Vice President of China. He invited Wang to visit India at a mutually convenient date to hold the next round of SR meeting.
