NSA Doval in China for Special Representatives dialogue, meets Vice President Han Zheng

Beijing: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval Wednesday met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who said China and India should gradually resume institutional dialogue as well as exchanges and cooperation in fields such as economy, trade and culture to bring bilateral relations back onto the track of stable development.

Doval, who is heading the Indian delegation, arrived here on Tuesday to take part in the 23rd round of the Special Representatives talks being held after a gap of five years. The last meeting was held in 2019 in Delhi.

During the meeting, Vice President Han said China and India, as ancient oriental civilisations and emerging major powers, adhere to independence, solidarity and cooperation, which is of global influence and strategic significance, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Han noted that next year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India.

"Both sides should implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, cultivate political mutual trust, gradually restore institutional dialogue, and enhance exchanges and cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, and culture, so as to promote the return of bilateral relations to a stable development track," Han said.

According to Xinhua, Doval said the resumption of the meeting between Special Representatives of both countries for the boundary question after five years is an important move to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and is of great significance for advancing bilateral relations.

India is willing to strengthen strategic communication with China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations, Doval was quoted as saying.

The two SRs will discuss the management of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and explore a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question, as agreed upon during the meeting of the two leaders in Kazan, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday.

The military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020 and was followed by a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June of that year resulting in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.

Barring trade, relations between the two countries virtually came to a standstill.

The face-off effectively ended following the completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21.

The SRs' meeting is regarded as significant as it is the first structured engagement between the two countries to restore relations.

Constituted in 2003 to comprehensively address the vexed dispute of the India-China border spanning 3,488 km, the SRs mechanism over the years met 22 times.

While success eluded it in resolving the boundary dispute, officials on both sides regard it as a very promising, useful and handy tool in addressing the recurring tensions between the two countries.