Post-Doklam talks, India-China sides agree to maintain peace along border
India and China have held their first high-level border talks since the 73-day Doklam standoff. India's national security adviser Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi discussed several issues during the 20th Meeting of Special Representatives in New Delhi. Both sides agreed that agreed that pending the boundary question's final resolution, it's necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas.
What was the Doklam standoff?
On July 18, Indian troops objected to China's attempts at building a road towards the Jampheri ridge in Doklam, a Bhutanese territory claimed by Beijing. This culminated in the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops. The Indian troops were acting on Bhutan's invitation. On August 28, the Doklam standoff ended with both India and China agreeing to pull back their troops.
China to India: Doklam standoff placed "severe pressure" on ties
The Doklam stand-off had placed "severe pressure" on Sino-Indian ties, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj during their meeting in New Delhi on December 13. However, Wang acknowledged that the standoff was resolved two months later through diplomatic means. He stressed that lessons must be learned and such incidents should be avoided in the future.
Modi meets Chinese representatives, discusses importance of ties
The India-China Special Representatives dialogue was formed in 2003 to help solve the border dispute. "The talks were positive and focused on bringing out the full potential of the closer developmental partnership between the two countries," an official statement about the meeting said. Yang also met PM Narendra Modi, who said a strong India-China relationship, not only benefits both countries, but also the world.
No specific mention of Doklam standoff in official statement
Both sides "underlined the need for the two countries to build on their convergences, while seeking mutually acceptable resolutions of their differences with due respect for each other's sensitivities, concerns and aspirations," the statement said. Notably, there was no specific mention of whether the Doklam standoff was discussed during the meeting. However, the statement suggests that India-China ties are back on track post-Doklam.
