China, India make progress on boundary question

China and India reached an eight-point consensus on the boundary question in Beijing on Tuesday during the 25th round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question.

According to a news release from China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, Wang Yi, China's special representative and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, and India's Special Representative and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the boundary question.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the guidance received from the leaders of the two countries, maintain peace and tranquility in border areas, and create an atmosphere for healthy and steady development of bilateral relations.

The two sides underlined their commitment to advance 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 China-India Boundary Question, which was signed in 2005, and the consensus reached in subsequent special representatives talks, in pursuit of a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution.

The Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and Working Group on Border Management under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs will respectively advance discussions. The first task for both groups will be to agree their respective terms of reference.

The two 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 the LAC in appropriate areas for better border management.

With the objective of improving border management measures, an additional two meeting points were agreed for holding the General Level Mechanism/Senior Highest Military Commander meeting.

Similarly, two additional channels of border military hotline in the Eastern and Middle sectors were agreed.

Both sides noted the progress on trans-border cooperation.

The Indian side appreciated the efforts made by the Chinese side to increase the number of batches of Indian official pilgrimages to Mount Gang Renpoche and Lake Mapam Yun Tso in Xizang autonomous region.

Both sides appreciated the reopening of the three designated border trading points.

The two sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in border trade, pilgrimages, and other areas, with the view of working together to create an atmosphere featuring dialogue, peace, consultation, and cooperation in the border areas.

The two sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the China-India Expert-Level Mechanism on Trans-border Rivers in September and maintain communication on issues including hydrological data sharing, and the renewal of relevant memorandums of understanding.

Both sides agreed to hold the 26th round of the special representative talks in India in 2027.