India, China agree to advance ‘early harvest’ on border delimitation, management

Beijing: India and China have agreed to advance discussions on an "Early and Substantial Harvest" of boundary delimitation and border management during talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

The Indian Embassy said this in a statement on Wednesday, a day after Doval and Wang held the 25th round of Special Representatives (SR) talks on the boundary question in Beijing.

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During the talks, both sides reached eight points of outcomes and consensus, the statement said.

Later in the night, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also released the same eight-point consensus reached between the two sides.

"Both sides underlined their commitment to advancing negotiations on a framework for the settlement of the boundary question in accordance with the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question signed in 2005 and the consensus reached in subsequent SR Talks in pursuit of a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution," the statement said.

"The Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation under the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs) would respectively advance discussions on an Early and Substantial Harvest of boundary delimitation and Border Management," it said.

"The first task for both these groups would be to agree on their respective Terms of Reference," the statement said.

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Held under the framework of SR dialogue, the Doval-Wang talks came weeks before President Xi Jinping's anticipated visit to India for the upcoming BRICS summit.

"The two sides agreed that any situation on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), local commander-level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC," the statement said.

"The two sides discussed ways to improve understanding of LAC (Line of Actual Control) in appropriate areas, for better border management," it said.

"With the objective to improve the border management measures, an additional two meeting points were agreed for holding the General Level Mechanism/Senior Highest Military Commander meeting (SHMC). Similarly two additional channels of border military hotline in the Eastern and Middle Sectors were agreed," it said.

Also, the two sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the India-China Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers in September and maintain communication on issues, including hydrological data sharing, and renewal of the relevant MoUs.

India and China established the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) in 2006 to discuss various issues related to trans-border rivers under which China provides India with hydrological information on the Brahmaputra River and Sutlej River during the flood seasons.

The statement issued by both sides noted the progress on trans-border cooperation.

"The Indian side appreciated the efforts made by the Chinese side to increase the number of batches of Indian official pilgrimage Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra (KMY) in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China," it said.

"Both sides appreciated the reopening of the three designated border trading points. The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in border trade, pilgrimage and other areas, with the view to work together to create an atmosphere featuring dialogue, peace, consultation and cooperation in the border areas," it said.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the guidance received from the leaders of the two countries, maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and create an atmosphere for healthy and steady development of bilateral relations, it said.

Both sides agreed to hold the 26th round of SR Talks in India in 2027.

Both Doval and Wang are the designated SRs for the boundary talks mechanism, which was established in 2003 to comprehensively address the dispute of the India-China border spanning 3,488 km.

While success eluded it in resolving the boundary dispute, officials on both sides regard the structured mechanism as a useful tool in addressing the recurring tensions between the two countries on various fronts.