 "Jaishankar, China FM agree to resume boundary talks, discuss direct flights")
India and China agreed to hold a meeting of their special representatives soon during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meeting focused on reviewing recent progress in bilateral ties and outlining next steps in the India-China relationship, including resuming direct flights and media exchanges.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), "The ministers recognised that the disengagement in our border areas had contributed to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity." This referred to the agreement announced on October 21 regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas. The discussions revolved around taking forward the momentum to stabilise ties and address outstanding issues.
A significant outcome of the meeting was the agreement to hold a meeting of the special representatives and of the foreign secretary-vice minister mechanism in the near future.
The Special Representatives mechanism on the India-China Boundary Question was established in 2003, with 22 rounds of talks held to date. The 22nd round took place in New Delhi in December 2019, between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang, who was also serving as State Councillor at the time.
In Rio de Janeiro, the two leaders also deliberated on practical measures to enhance bilateral cooperation. "Among the steps discussed were the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, data sharing on trans-border rivers, direct flights between India and China and media exchanges," the MEA said. These initiatives reflect an effort to rebuild people-to-people ties and address shared interests.
The Chinese foreign minister agreed on the importance of stabilising ties. "Foreign Minister Wang concurred with Jaishankar that India-China relations have particular salience in world politics. He noted that our leaders had agreed in Kazan on the way forward. The two ministers felt that it was imperative that the focus should be on stabilising ties, managing differences and taking the next steps," the MEA statement highlighted.
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The meeting follows the discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit at Kazan, Russia, on October 23, underscoring ongoing efforts to stabilise ties amid complex challenges.
After PM Modi and President Xi's meeting, an MEA release said that the two leaders had "agreed that the special representatives on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question".
The Ladakh standoff began in April 2020, when Chinese troops crossed the LAC in eastern Ladakh, building infrastructure in disputed areas. A violent clash occurred in the Pangong Tso area in May, and tensions escalated sharply with the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June, when 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops died.
The standoff continued, with intermittent disengagement at some friction points, until October this year, when New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements at the remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.