 "NSA Doval may visit China soon to restart Special Reps boundary talks")
National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval is expected to visit Beijing soon, with one report suggesting the trip could be as early as Tuesday, December 17. He is set to lead the Indian delegation at the Special Representatives dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, focusing on the broader India-China boundary issue. This dialogue will take place after nearly five years.
On Monday, news agency PTI reported that NSA Doval is likely to visit China in the coming weeks. However, an India Today report claimed the visit is scheduled for December 17. Both reports cited unnamed sources for their information regarding Doval's travel plans.
The discussions aim to address ongoing tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This will be the first Special Representatives-level dialogue since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020 and the first such meeting since December 2019.
Doval's visit comes two months after India and China reached an agreement in October on patrolling arrangements along the LAC in the India-China border areas.
The last round of the Special Representatives dialogue occurred in New Delhi in December 2019.
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The decision to restart the dialogue mechanism was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 23 in Kazan.
According to sources cited by PTI, NSA Doval is expected to travel to China soon to participate in the 23rd round of Special Representatives talks.
The Special Representatives dialogue is anticipated to take place either later this month or in early January, one source cited by the news agency indicated.
There has been no official confirmation regarding the venue for the talks.
India and China discussed preparations for the upcoming Special Representatives dialogue during their diplomatic talks on December 5.
While NSA Doval represents India in these discussions, the Chinese delegation is headed by Foreign Minister Wang.
The Special Representatives dialogue has not been held for the past five years due to the border standoff in eastern Ladakh.
The military confrontation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, with a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June of that year, severely straining relations between the two countries.
The standoff concluded following the disengagement process at the final friction points in Demchok and Depsang, under an agreement reached on October 21.
Two days after the agreement, Modi and Xi held discussions on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia.
During their meeting, both leaders agreed to reactivate multiple dialogue mechanisms, including the Special Representatives dialogue on the boundary issue.