Past setbacks not in interest of both nations: Wang Yi at meeting with Ajit Doval

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, on Tuesday suggested ‘settling specific issues along the borders’ and said he was ready to build ‘consensus’ on specific goals of the ‘boundary consultations’.

"This can create conditions for the improvement and further growth of our relations,” Wang said making an opening statement at the 24th round of Special Representative (SR) level talks. Though he did not mention the border stand-off in Eastern Ladakh or the deadly clash at Galwan, but it was clear what he was referring to when he said: “The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries”. 

Wang cited the meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year at Kazan, Russia, and suggested to follow their guidance. This, he said, should include “an increase in mutual trust through strategic communication and to properly settle the specific issues in the borders so as to advance our relationship between a healthy and sound manner”.

Wang, told the Indian delegation led by Doval, that he was ready to build greater consensus on resolving the boundary issue. “I am ready to work with you to build more consensus and identify the direction, the specific goals of the boundary consultations, going forward and create more conditions for the improvement and further growth of our relations,” Wang added.

Doval, making his opening statement said, “Since the last round of SR-level talks in December last year, there has been an upwards trend (in relations). Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquillity, and our bilateral engagement has been more substantial.”.

At the Kazan meet, Modi and Xi had tasked the SR’s with overseeing steps to ensure peace and tranquillity in border areas. They were asked to work out a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable” solution to the pending boundary issue.

Wang and Doval are the (SR’s) tasked to resolve the boundary question – the two countries don’t have an earmarked border, leading to claims and counter claims; hence the disputes.

The NSA also referred to the Modi-Xi meeting at Kazan last year and said, “We have profited since the leaders have been able to set a new trend. The new environment created by the two leaders has been helpful in areas that we are working on.”

"Since Modi is scheduled to visit China of the SCO leaders’ summit, the SR-level talks hold a very special importance," said Doval. He lauded the maturity and responsibility displayed by the diplomats and the armies of the two sides.

Wang on his part said China attaches a great importance to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to attend the SCO summit and added “the bilateral relationship is facing an important opportunity of improvement and growth”.

History proves that a healthy and stable China-India relationship serves fundamental, long term interests of both of our countries, it is also what the developing countries all want to see, Wang stated.

Meanwhile, referring to the last round of SR-talks, Wang said that we identified specific goals and formed a working framework. “We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored at the borders,” the Chinese Foreign Minister said.

Yesterday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar — at a meeting with Wang Yi had — said the ‘process of de-escalating’ from the military build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) needs to ‘move forward’.

“The basis for any positive momentum in our ties is the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas. It is also essential that the de-escalation process move forward,” Jaishankar said.