NSA Ajit Doval, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi review LAC resolution efforts

India and China agreed to “work with urgency and redouble their efforts” to realise complete disengagement in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as national security advisor Ajit Doval met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Saint Petersburg on Thursday and reviewed recent efforts to resolve lingering issues and pave the way for rebuilding bilateral ties.

Held on the sidelines of the meeting of the BRICS officials responsible for security matters, the Doval-Wang meeting may lead to a structured meeting between the Indian Prime Minister and the Chinese President if suitable conditions are created through resolution of remaining irritants along the LAC, hinted persons familiar with the issue.

ET was the first to report that Doval would meet Wang Yi in Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA meeting.


Doval conveyed that peace and tranquillity in border areas and respect for LAC are essential for normalcy in bilateral relations, officials said. He further said that both sides must fully abide by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached in the past by the two governments, they said.

The two sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship is significant not just for the two countries but also for the region and the world, officials said.

The duo exchanged views on the global and regional situation, they said, adding that this includes the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Gaza situation and the situation in India’s neighbourhood.

There has been forward movement in addressing the irritants along the LAC over the past few months, indicated people familiar with the matter.

Last month, India and China, at the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), held in Beijing, decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understanding reached between the two governments in what appeared to be a way forward to address the remaining irritants along the LAC in Ladakh.

In line with the guidance provided by two foreign ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July, the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the LAC to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues, officials said.

Since 1993, India and China have put in place a number of pacts to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC. The 1993 pact was followed by agreements in 1996, 2003 and 2005.