New DelhiIndia and China will today hold a fresh round of border talks under the special representatives mechanism which will be the first on the sticky boundary issue since the 73-day-long military standoff in Doklam.
In the 20th round of special representatives talks, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China’s State Councillor Yang Jiechi are likely to deliberate on ways to maintain peace and tranquillity along the 4,000-km-long border between the two countries.
The Doklam standoff is expected to figure in the talks.
When asked about the talks, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the discussions will be focused on the boundary issue, adding “we, of course, attach lot of importance to this dialogue mechanism.”
Ahead of the talks, China on Tuesday said that the Doklam standoff posed a “major test” for the bilateral ties and lessons should be learnt from it to avoid a similar “conflict” in the future.
The Doklam standoff began on June 16 over People’s Liberation Army’s plans to build a road in area claimed by Bhutan after the Indian troops intervened to stop it as it posed a security risk to Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its North-eastern states.
The standoff ended on August 28 following mutual agreement between India and China.
Asked about the disengagement of troops in Doklam, Kumar refused to give details, calling it an operational matter.
During the weekly media briefing, he said it was not appropriate to comment on operational matters like how the disengagement had taken place, how many troops were stationed, where they were.
India Resents Chinas BRI Initiative
Ahead of India-China boundary talks on Friday, New Delhi on Thursday reiterated its opposition to Beijings ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
During a press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, Our policy has been very clear and consistent on why we oppose this initiative. We believe connectivity initiatives should be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and quality and must be pursued in a manner which respect territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The spokesperson was asked for his reaction to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs recent remarks that India should reconsider its position on BRI and join it.
New Delhi has opposed BRI on the ground that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of the initiative, runs through Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.
Asked about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently pitching for India joining the project, Kumar said India will always be open to any efforts which will address its concerns.
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