ADD SANDEEP DIXITIndia, China agree to next round of border talks

Brasilia/Beijing, November 14

India and China have agreed to hold another meeting on matters related to the boundary question after PM Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit here, according to an official statement.

The 21st round of India-China border talks, led by Special Representatives (SR) National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, were held at Chengdu in China in November last year.

According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, Prime Minister Modi and President Xi “noted that the Special Representatives will have another meeting on matters relating to the boundary question and reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and security along the border areas”. The statement, however, did not mention the time-frame for the next round of boundary talks.

The two officials also emphasised on maintaining peace and tranquillity at the border by the two militaries making use of a number of mechanism worked out to improve the relations between the troops on the ground. The India-China border dispute covers 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet while India contests it. PTI