India, China reach common understanding on management of border

China's Wang visited New Delhi on August 18 and 19 during which he held extensive talks with NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Beijing: India and China have reached a new understanding on the management and control of the frontier during Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Wang visited New Delhi on August 18 and 19 during which he held extensive talks with NSA Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Summing up the outcome of Wang's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here that the two sides also agreed on resuming dialogue mechanisms in various fields, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, upholding multilateralism, jointly dealing with global challenges and opposing unilateral bullying acts.

“On the boundary question, the two sides reached new common understandings, agreeing to conduct normalised management and control, maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, properly address areas of sensitivity, and initiate boundary negotiations in areas where conditions are met," she said.

Mao said in his meetings, Wang also noted that “the current circumstances further highlight the strategic significance of China-India relations and the strategic value of bilateral cooperation” apparently referring to the US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

A press release issued by the foreign ministry here about Wang’s meeting with PM Modi said Wang has conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's and Premier Li Qiang's warm greetings to him.

Wang welcomed Modi’s visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in the Chinese city of Tianjin on August 31 and September 1, it said.

The Chinese foreign minister said that the successful meeting between Modi and Xi in Russia last year has provided guidance for the resumption and a new start for China-India relations.

Both sides have been earnestly implementing the common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, promoting bilateral relations to enter a new course of improvement and development, he told Modi.

"This has not come by easily, and should be cherished," he said.

Wang said that his visit to India also served to prepare for high-level exchanges between the two countries.

Through comprehensive and in-depth communication, in terms of bilateral relations, the two sides have agreed on restarting dialogue mechanisms across various fields, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, upholding multilateralism, jointly addressing global challenges, and opposing unilateralism and bullying acts, the press release quoted him as saying.

Wang emphasised that the China-India relations have experienced ups and downs, and the lessons learned are worth remembering, it said.

Regardless of the circumstances, both sides should adhere to the correct positioning of being partners, not rivals, and prudently manage differences to ensure that boundary disputes do not affect the overall relationship between the two countries, Wang said.

“In the current international situation, the strategic significance of China-India relations is increasingly prominent, and the strategic value of China-India cooperation is even more notable,” he said.

Both sides will earnestly implement the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen exchanges and cooperation across various fields, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-India relations, the release said.

Both sides will bring greater benefits to the people of both countries, and make due contributions to the cause of human progress as two major civilisations, the press release quoted Wang as saying.