23rd India-China Special Representatives’ talks today

New Delhi, Dec 17: India and China are set to hold the 23rd round of Special Representatives (SR) talks on Wednesday, December 18  in Beijing, marking a significant step in efforts to normalise relations between the two neighbours and the most populous countries.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, India’s SR on the boundary issue, will meet with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor and India’s Special Representative (SR) on the India-China boundary question, will hold the 23rd meeting of the SRs in Beijing on 18 December 2024 with his Chinese counterpart H.E.  Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China,” The Ministry of External Affairs said.

The meeting follows an agreement reached during discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 23, 2024, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan.

“As agreed during the meeting of the two leaders in Kazan, the two SRs will discuss the management of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and explore a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.

The talks are expected to focus on restoring bilateral ties that have been strained since April 2020, when Chinese troops mobilized along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), leading to one of the most prolonged military standoffs between the two countries. Relations remained largely frozen until the October 21, 2024, agreement to disengage troops in eastern Ladakh.

Doval’s visit to Beijing is seen as significant in advancing this process. The agreement reached in October is a major breakthrough, and it is hoped these talks will pave the way for cementing further ties between the two countries.

The SR mechanism, established in 2003 to address nearly 3, 500 Km long boundary dispute, has convened 22 times. However, the last meeting took place five years ago in 2019, reflecting the deteriorated state of relations in recent years.

The renewed dialogue between the two SRs comes after a series of high-level engagements. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Wang Yi held discussions during the G20 summit in Brazil, followed by meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

The outcome of the December 18 talks will be closely watched as a litmus test for the willingness of both sides to rebuild trust and address longstanding issues.

Political observers suggest that the meeting, seen as important and closely being watched by the global leaders, could offer a roadmap for future cooperation between India and China, hopefully easing further tensions along the LAC.

The world’s two most populous nations now face the challenge of translating diplomatic agreements into tangible progress on the ground, as they seek to overcome years of mistrust and restore a semblance of normalcy in their bilateral relationship.