NSA to meet Chinese counsellor to remove bilateral irritants

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will soon host China’s state counsellor Yang Jiechi in New Delhi for discussion on irritants in bilateral relations.

With counter-terrorism cooperation likely to dominate the agenda of discussion, Doval is likely to convey to Yang New Delhi’s concerns over Beijing’s policy of blocking India’s attempts to get the United Nations sanctions on terror leaders based in Pakistan, sources told DH.

Doval and Yang are at present Special Representatives of India and China for negotiations on boundary dispute and strategic consultations.

They held the 19th round of boundary negotiations in Beijing on April 20.

Sources said that Doval and Yang, however, would not discuss the boundary dispute during their upcoming meeting and would rather try to iron out the newer wrinkles in bilateral relations. Yang might also call on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit.

Doval is likely to make it clear to Yang that China must stop shielding Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar and other terror leaders based in Pakistan from being brought under the United Nations sanctions. He would argue that India and China should not have any difference on the issue of terrorism, as no country could now claim to be immune from the menace, said sources.

China recently made its latest move to block India’s attempts to designate the JeM chief as a terrorist by the UN panel established under the Security Council’s resolutions 1267, 1989 and 2253.

India had, earlier this year, moved a fresh plea to the committee seeking imposition of sanctions on Azhar. It was only due to China’s opposition in April this year that the UN panel had to put India’s plea on a “technical hold” for six months. China, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, on September 30 extended the “technical hold” for three more months.

All individuals and entities listed by the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State (Da’esh) and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee are subjected to international sanctions, including travel restrictions and measures curbing financial transactions.