NATIONAL Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday said that normalcy in relationship between India and China has been a direct result of both sides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas as he held the crucial Special Representatives talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Holding an extensive round of talks, both Doval and Wang emphasised delivering on the “clear and positive” direction given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to improve bilateral relations. “I am very happy we are here for the 25th round of talks which are very important, particularly in the wake of the BRICS summit to happen shortly,” Doval said in his opening remarks. President Xi is widely expected to attend the BRICS summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi on Sept 12-13. Though China has not yet confirmed his participation in the summit, officials on both sides are optimistic about Xi's visit to India. His visit would provide an opportunity for a meeting with Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the summit to discuss initiatives to take forward bilateral ties. “We meet in keeping with the guidance of our leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, who have given clear and positive direction to our relationship both at Kazan and Tianjin,” Doval said, referring to the leaders' summits on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Russia in 2024 and the SCO summit in China last year. Referring to the progress made by the two countries in normalising the ties and the four-year standoff at eastern Ladakh, Doval said he was happy that over the past year the bilateral relationship has been steadily returning to normalcy.

 

“The normalcy we have witnessed in our relationship has been a direct result of both sides maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” he said. “We have extensively talked about it today just to see how to effectively reinforce and further consolidate our efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” he said in an apparent reference to differences over the border and Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as South Tibet. “The successful conduct of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra via Nathu La and resumption of our traditional border trade via all the three passes brought tangible benefits for our people, particularly people living in the border areas,” he said. In his remarks, Wang said the China-India relationship has gone beyond the bilateral scope and taken on global and strategic significance. “It is important for us to step up communication, to enhance mutual trust, to remove disturbances and overcome obstacles. We need to be good friends that enjoy good neighbourliness and be good partners that contribute to each other's success,” he said. Wang also talked about adding new impetus to the ties during the talks with Doval. “I look forward to continuing to have in-depth exchange of views with you on issues of shared interest to better understand each other and to properly handle the boundary question, to not only maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area but also inject new impetus for the bilateral relationship,” he said.