National Security Advisor Ajit Doval told top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector in Ladakh since 2020 had “eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship between the two countries.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Doval conveyed his concerns while discussing bilateral ties on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs Meeting in South Africa’s Johannesburg. The MEA statement said, “NSA emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral relations”.
Doval’s tough talk on LAC in the meeting with Wang Yi assumes significance as it has come ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held next month in Johannesburg. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will come face-to-face during the BRICS summit. Sources told The Daily Guardian that Doval’s remarks on LAC is part of India’s strategy to set the tone and stage ahead of PM Modi’s participation in the BRICS summit in August. “The Indian side will continue to talk tough on the LAC like what Doval has said ahead of the BRICS summit so as to build pressure on Beijing,” sources said, adding, “PM Modi is also expected to give a strong message on the LAC amid military stand-off with China during the BRICS summit.” In presence of Xi Jinping, Modi will talk tough on China’s misdeeds along the LAC, sources said.
“The two sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship is significant not only for the two countries but also for the region and world,” the MEA statement said. Wang is a Member of the Communist Party of China Political Bureau and Director of the Office of the CPC Foreign Affairs Commission. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had met Wang and discussed outstanding issues relating to peace and tranquillity in border areas. According to sources, it was their first meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta, since Qin Gang became the Chinese foreign minister.
Wang and Doval are their country’s special representatives on boundary talks. The last special representative-level talks between India and China on the boundary happened in 2019. Wang Yi said the two sides should enhance strategic mutual trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome obstacles, and bring bilateral relations back on track of sound and stable development as soon as possible, China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported. He also reportedly stressed that China will never seek hegemony, and stands ready to work with developing countries, including India, to support multilateralism and the democratisation of international relations, and promote the more just and equitable development of international order. The two sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship is significant not only for the two countries, but also for the region, and the world.