India, China agree to maintain border peace

India and China on Friday agreed to maintain peace along their disputed boundary, as the negotiators of the two nations met for the first time after the recent military face-off in Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi met in New Delhi and agreed that an "early settlement" of the protracted boundary dispute would serve "the fundamental interests of both countries".

Doval and Jiechi are Special Representatives of India and China for negotiations to settle the boundary dispute. The 20th round of negotiations is the first time they met after China's protracted boundary disputes with both India and Bhutan drew global attention in the wake of a long face-off between Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army at Doklam Plateau from June 16 to August 28.

They re-emphasised their commitment to achieving a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution" to the India-China boundary question "at an early date", Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said."They also agreed on the need to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas till the dispute could be resolved with a final settlement."

"The talks were positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the Closer Developmental Partnership between the two countries," the MEA said in a press release issued after the meeting.

Doval and Jiechi agreed to maintain regular contact and to advance the development of bilateral relations in all areas. They underlined the need for the two countries to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns  and  aspirations.

Jiechi, who is now a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of China, also called on the prime minister.