India To Collaborate With China On Advancing Cross-Border Cooperation

India on Friday said it intended to work with China in implementing agreements arrived at during the recent Special Representatives’ dialogue, which included discussions on cross-border cooperation such as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and border trade.

India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, was in Beijing on Wednesday meeting with China‘s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the first formal dialogue of its kind in nearly five years. This meeting had come after the October 21 agreement for disengagement of frontline forces in the Ladakh sector of the LAC.

The Indian statement said Doval and Wang had “given positive directions for cross-border cooperation and exchanges, including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers, and border trade.”

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal commented on the progress during a media briefing, saying, “It means that the discussions have gone into the positive direction, and thereafter, whatever else is required will be done to take these cross-border exchanges forward.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has been suspended since 2020, after the military standoff in Ladakh, where both countries deployed massive troops. The June 2020 Galwan Valley clash further strained relations, with fatalities on both sides.

In the autumn, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had met during the BRICS Summit and agreed to revive mechanisms on border issues and normalize the relations. The disengagement at the Demchok and Depsang friction points followed soon after.

Jaiswal also stated that both sides remain committed to exploring a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable framework for the settlement of the boundary question.” On resuming full-fledged trade relations, he noted, “Several meetings have been held. where it has been agreed that we’ll take step-by-step action.”

While both sides made efforts to come out with a joint statement after the talks between the Special Representatives, they have separately issued statements that can reflect the differences. Jaiswal said India’s readout represents its view, and, “We can speak for our press release and give you details on that.