Ministry of External Affairs Government of India

The 18th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question, Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor and Mr. Yang Jiechi, State Councillor was held in New Delhi on 23 March, 2015. The talks were marked by cordiality and candour and were held in a constructive and forward looking atmosphere.

This was the first round of Special Representatives’ talks after the new Government in India assumed Office. The Special Representatives undertook a comprehensive review of earlier rounds of the talks. They expressed satisfaction on the progress made in the negotiations and emphasized commitment to the three-step process to seek a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the border question at an early date. The Special Representatives continued the discussions to reach a mutually acceptable Framework for resolution of the Boundary Question on the basis of the Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles.

Both Sides agreed to take necessary steps to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas which is a pre-requisite for continued growth of bilateral relations. The Special Representatives expressed satisfaction at the growing interaction between the border forces of the two countries and agreed to further expand such contacts as these constitute important confidence building measures for maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas.

The Special Representatives viewed positively development of bilateral ralations following the successful visit of President Xi Jinping to India in September 2014, which was a significant event in India-China relations. The two sides agreed to build on the momentum provided by President Xi’s visit to further expand bilateral relations in areas such as railways, smart cities, vocational education, skill development, clean and renewable energy and manufacturing sector. Both sides agreed that growing linkages between Indian States and Chinese Provinces through sister-city and sister-province mechanism plays an important role in deepening bilateral ties. The two Special Representatives emphasized the importance of high-level exchanges for strengthening bilateral ties.

The two sides exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to enhance their consultations on counter-terrorism, maritime security, climate change, reform of United Nation and civil nuclear energy cooperation.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 and conveyed greetings of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

New Delhi
March 24, 2015