India and China have agreed on a series of measures to strengthen border management, expand military and diplomatic communication and advance negotiations aimed at resolving their decades-old boundary dispute, following the 25th round of talks between their Special Representatives in Beijing.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a candid and in-depth exchange on Aug. 25, with both sides reaching eight key points of consensus, according to an official release.
The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and creating conditions for stable bilateral ties.
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They also agreed to advance negotiations on a framework for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement based on the 2005 political parameters agreement and subsequent consensus.
The Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and the Working Group on Border Management under the WMCC will pursue an “early and substantial harvest” on delimitation and border management, beginning with agreement on their terms of reference.
Both sides agreed to promptly address ground situations through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC and commander-level meetings, while improving understanding of the Line of Actual Control in relevant areas.
To strengthen border management, two additional meeting points were agreed for General-Level/Senior Highest Military Commander meetings, along with two new military hotline channels in the eastern and middle sectors.
The sides also welcomed progress in trans-border cooperation, including more batches of the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra and reopening of three designated border trade points.
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They agreed to strengthen cooperation on trade, pilgrimage and other border-related activities.
India and China will hold the next Expert-Level Mechanism meeting on trans-border rivers in September to discuss hydrological data sharing and renewal of relevant memoranda.
The 26th round of Special Representatives' talks will be held in India in 2027.
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