China, India hold special representatives talks on boundary question in Beijing

BEIJING, Aug. 25 -- China and India on Tuesday held the 25th round of talks between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary question in Beijing, with the two sides engaging in comprehensive, in-depth, friendly and candid communication on the boundary question and bilateral relations, according to a statement released by the Chinese side. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and China's special representative on the boundary question between China and India, held talks with India's Special Representative and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Wang said China and India are important neighbors, as well as representatives of major developing countries and emerging economies. A healthy and stable development of China-India relations serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples, meets the common aspiration of countries of the Global South, and is in line with the trend of the times, Wang pointed out. Noting China-India relations have gone beyond the bilateral sphere and carry global and strategic significance, Wang said China is ready to work with India to view bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, strengthen communication, enhance mutual understanding, resolve differences and overcome obstacles, and be good neighbors and friendly partners that help each other achieve success, so as to realize "the dragon and the elephant dancing together." Wang noted that the two sides are orderly implementing the outcomes of the special representatives' meetings. Institutional exchanges and cooperation between the two countries are gradually resuming, while both sides are working together to maintain peace and tranquility in border areas. The two sides should draw lessons from history, place the boundary question in its appropriate position in bilateral relations, and continue moving forward without stagnation, regression or deviation, Wang added. Efforts should be made to gradually build a positive narrative on China-India boundary affairs and make dialogue, peace, consultation and cooperation the mainstream, injecting positive factors into the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, he said. Doval said China and India are both ancient civilizations, populous countries and important economies, and are partners rather than competitors. A stable, predictable and forward-looking India-China relationship serves the common interests of the two peoples and is of great significance to Asia and the world, Doval said. India is ready to further strengthen strategic communication with China, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, deepen multilateral coordination, effectively manage border areas, explore solutions to the boundary question and accelerate the improvement and development of India-China relations, Doval said. According to the statement, the two sides held in-depth communication on advancing boundary delimitation negotiations, strengthening border management, improving institutional mechanisms and promoting cross-border cooperation. They reiterated their commitment to seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable package solution to the boundary question in accordance with the political guiding principles agreed upon in 2005, based on mutual respect and mutual understanding and through the special representatives' mechanism. The two sides will continue to properly handle the boundary question through dialogue and consultation and jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas. The two sides agreed to hold the 26th round of talks between the two countries' special representatives on the boundary question in India in 2027. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.