NSA DOVAL HOLDS BORDER TALKS WITH COUNTERPART IN CHINA

BEIJING: India and China on Wednesday continued protracted discussions on resolving the disputed boundary problem amid concerns that the long outstanding border question coupled with Beijing’s apparent support to Pakistan on the Masood Azhar issue could cool bilateral relations.

National security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval declined to share details of the two-hour talks with state councillor Yang Jiechi at the Diaoyutai state guest house. “The talks went well,” Doval said without elaborating. China was not forthcoming either.

Both countries had an “extensive, deep and candid” discussion on boundary issues, a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry said.

“Both sides agreed to adhere to peaceful negotiations to settle the boundary question. They will make efforts to reach a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution,” it added.

It was the 19th round of border talks that Doval and Yang held under the ‘special representatives’ (SR) framework, the last one being held in New Delhi in March 2015.

Doval said: “…We do hope that what we couldn’t do in 2015, we will try and make up for that in 2016. There has been improvement in bilateral exchanges between the two countries in various fields.” Doval will meet Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday.

Yang said: “The Chinese side stands ready to use this important occasion to have broad ranging, in-depth and candid discussions with the Indian side on bilateral relations, the boundary question and regional and international issues and other issues of shared interests.”

China, the biggest armed forces in the world, and India maintain two of the largest militaries in the world and its border patrols are frequently involved in stand-offs.

“Both border security forces have once again been disturbed by face-off eventualities in the “grey areas” along the disputed border,” Hu Shisheng, noted South Asian expert at the influential China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), told HT.