NEW DELHI: India and China jointly announced Wednesday that the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question – co-chaired by Ajit Doval and Wang Yi this week – had led to an 8-point consensus, signalling some positive progress in boundary talks ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to India next month.These included advancing consultations for an “early and substantial harvest” of boundary delimitation, setting up more meeting points and hotlines to improve border management, improving understanding of LAC and addressing ground situation through diplomatic and military engagements, expanding trans-border trade and rivers cooperation. The consensus was announced in a rare joint statement after the SR talks.Building upon the outcomes from the last round of talks in 2024, the 2 sides agreed that the Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and Working Group on Border Management would advance discussions on an “Early and Substantial Harvest” of boundary delimitation and Border Management. The first task for both these groups would be to agree on their respective Terms of Reference, said the joint statement.India and China had agreed last year to set up an expert group under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), to explore early harvest in boundary delimitation in the India-China border areas. The formulation was changed to early and substantial on this occasion.Two additional meeting points for military talks and 2 more channels of border military hotlines in the Eastern and Middle Sectors were agreed upon to reinforce border management measures, according to both sides.“The two 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,” said the MEA in a statement. Unlike the Chinese readout of the talks on Tuesday, the joint statement did not mention package settlement or solution, although the 2005 agreement talks about making adjustments to reach a package settlement.The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the guidance received from Modi and Xi, maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas and creating an atmosphere for healthy and steady development of bilateral relations.According to the joint statement, both sides agreed that any situation on the ground would be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels, including the WMCC, local commander‑level meetings and other agreed mechanisms, to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation along the LAC. “The two sides discussed ways to improve understanding of LAC in appropriate areas, for better border management,” said the joint statement.Both sides also noted the progress on trans-border cooperation, with the Indian side appreciating 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.
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“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,” said the joint statement.India and China also 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. It’s important for India that China shares hydrological information during emergency situations based on humanitarian considerations. The two sides agreed to hold the 26th round of SR Talks in India in 2027.
