Ahead of rare high-level negotiations on a decades-old border issue this week, China stated on Tuesday that it was prepared to cooperate with India to stabilize bilateral relations “at an early d
As fierce geopolitical adversaries, the two most populous countries in the world have accused one another of attempting to annex land along their unofficial border, known as the Line of Actual Control.
Tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors has always existed along their shared 3,500-kilometer border.
The first such discussions in five years would take place this week, suggesting a potential warming in relations.
Spokesman Lin Jian stated that Beijing would seek to “improve mutual trust through dialogue and communication, appropriately handle differences with sincerity and good faith, and push bilateral relations back to a stable and healthy track of development at an early date.”
Following a bloody battle in 2020 high in their Himalayan frontiers that claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, relations deteriorated.
On patrols in disputed areas, however, New Delhi said in October that it had achieved a deal with Beijing. Soon after, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in a rare official setting.
Beijing announced on Monday that Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi would meet on Wednesday to talk about the “China-India boundary question.”.
The 2003 framework designed to address the border issue will serve as the basis for the negotiations. Indian media reports that the most recent such meeting was held in December 2019.
In 1962, China and India fought a short but brutal border war.
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