As India and China today held special representative level talks on key aspects related to border issues, China said this mechanism has been operating well and is an important platform for strategic communication between the two countries.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi met along with senior officials for the 20th round of the India-China border talks in New Delhi, the first since the 73-day-long military standoff in Doklam.
"This mechanism is not only a high-level channel for dialogue on border issues between the two sides but also an important platform for strategic communication between China and India," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told media here today when asked about the talks.
She, however, skirted a response to a question whether the Doklam standoff figured in the talks.
Hua referred to the meeting of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Xiamen this year and said that they reached important consensus.
"So, the special representatives would follow the consensus of the two leaders to exchange our views on issues of mutual concerns, focus on cooperation across the board, so as to achieve win win cooperation and mutual benefits," she said.
"The Chinese and Indian leadership have attached great importance to the border issue. The two sides have made important and tireless efforts to resolve the border issue," she said.
"The state councillor is in India to exchange views on the border issue with his Indian counterpart," she said.
"So we think, this mechanism is operating very well. We hope the Indian side will work with China to make most of the current mechanism to uphold peace and tranquillity of border areas so that we can create enabling conditions for bilateral relations," she said.
During today's border talks, the two sides agreed that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas, and exchanged ideas on various confidence building measures (CBMs) in this regard.
They underlined the need to build on their convergences while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each others concerns, sensitivities and aspirations.
The Doklam standoff began on June 16 after the Indian troops intervened and stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area claimed by Bhutan as it posed a security risk to Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its north-eastern states. The two armies "disengaged" on August 28.
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