CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: India Draws Firm Line on Border Before Xi Jinping Visit
Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India, New Delhi has made its position clear on the border dispute. India has indicated that the path to improving relations between the two countries runs through peace and stability along the border. Since the 2020 military tensions in Ladakh, India has consistently made it clear that bilateral relations cannot be normalised without peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
India has described the situation on the border as the most important issue. Its position is that any incident on the LAC, or any attempt to change the status quo, will be taken seriously. The Ministry of External Affairs has also said earlier that peace and stability on the border are extremely important for the overall state of India-China relations. This means that despite efforts by the two countries to expand cooperation in trade, investment and other areas, the border issue remains among India’s key concerns.
Ahead of Xi Jinping’s possible visit to India, an important understanding was reached on eight points related to border management during the 25th round of talks between the special representatives of India and China. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India, while Foreign Minister Wang Yi represented China in the talks. The two countries agreed to set up two new hotline channels in the eastern and middle sectors to strengthen military communication along the LAC. In addition, two additional meeting points have also been identified for meetings of senior military commanders.
India and China have also agreed to take forward talks on resolving the border dispute on the basis of the political parameters and guiding principles agreed in 2005. The expert group related to boundary delimitation and the mechanism linked to border management have been tasked with carrying forward further discussions. However, it would be premature to see this as a sign of a settlement of the border dispute. Differences over the actual boundary between the two countries still remain, and no broad agreement has emerged on final boundary demarcation in any specific area.
India’s message is clear. Xi Jinping’s possible visit could provide an important political contact between the two countries after a long gap. But India’s priority is evident: relations can move forward only with stability on the border. In the coming period, it will be important to see how effective the new hotline mechanism and military meeting points prove in reducing tensions along the LAC, and in which direction talks on the border dispute proceed.
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