Beijing calls for redoubling efforts to resolve boundary dispute

China on Monday called for redoubling joint efforts to resolve its boundary dispute with India, but stressed that the relation between the two neighbouring emerging market economies should not be held hostage to the dispute.

With less than a week to go before new Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India, Beijing is understood to be keen on playing down the recent border standoff and has conveyed to New Delhi that the dispute can be resolved with greater ease if the two countries have greater trust and the overall bilateral relation continues to grow.

“We should redouble our efforts to achieve a framework for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question,” said Qin Gang, official spokesperson and Director-General of the Information Department of the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After the first five rounds of parleys between the two Special Representatives, India and China signed an agreement on the political parameters and guiding principles for the settlement of the dispute, signalling the end of the first phase of the process.

The two countries have since been engaged in talks for giving shape to a framework for settling the dispute. After agreeing on the framework, the two Special Representatives, who so far had 15 rounds of talks, are expected to begin the third and final phase of the process to agree on the actual border.

Qin is in New Delhi at the invitation from his Indian counterpart Syed Akbaruddin. India and China in March 2012 agreed to have exchange of visits and interactions by official spokespersons of foreign ministries of the two countries.

“We have to bear in mind the whole picture in the larger interests of our bilateral ties, and should not allow the boundary question to stand in the way of our friendly ties to grow,” he told journalists, while replying to queries on the April 15 incursion by Chinese soldiers into Indian side of the Line of Actual Control at Depsang Bulge in Ladakh.