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Six Point India-China Border Deal

The 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China, was the first in five years and focused on strengthening peace and finding a mutually acceptable resolution to the boundary question.

December 26, 2024 By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Photo(s): By X / EOIBeijing, PIB
The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

 

NSA AJIT DOVAL HELD THE 23RD MEETING OF Special Representatives (SRS) ON INDIA-CHINA BOUNDARY QUESTION WITH HIS COUNTERPART WANG YI, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS ON DECEMBER 18, 2024 IN BEIJING.

On December 18, 2024 Special Representatives (SRs) of India and China, NSA Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met to discuss ways to strengthen peace and tranquillity in border areas in accordance with the consensus reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia on October 23, 2024. This was the 23rd meeting of the SRs on the boundary question and first in five years after 2019. Doval also called on China's Vice President Han Zheng during his visit.

India and China have reached a six-point consensus including the resumption of Indian pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, cross border river cooperation and Nathula border trade

Main points of the brief of the meeting issued by the Ministry of External Affairs are as under:

  • The SRs met to oversee management of peace and tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.
  • Both reiterated the importance of maintaining a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question, and resolved to inject more vitality into this process.
  • Both positively affirmed the implementation of the latest disengagement agreement of October 2024, resulting in patrolling and grazing in relevant areas.
  • Both underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas to promote overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship, emphasising the need to ensure peace so that border issues don't hold back normal development of bilateral relations. Drawing on events of 2020, they discussed measures to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and advance effective border management.
  • Both exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, provided positive directions for cross-border cooperation/exchanges including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, India and China have reached a six-point consensus including the resumption of Indian pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, cross border river cooperation and Nathula border trade. The details, as given by china.org.cn are as under:

  • Both sides positively evaluated the solution reached between the two countries on border issues, reiterated that the implementation work should continue.
  • The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue seeking a solution to the boundary issue in accordance with the political guidelines agreed upon on resolving the boundary issue in year 2005.
  • The two sides assessed the border situation and agreed to further refine the management and control rules in the border area and strengthen the building of CBM.
  • The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cross-border exchanges and cooperation, and promote the resumption of Indian's pilgrimage to Tibet, China, cross-border river cooperation and Nathula border trade.
  • China-India Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC) to carry out follow up implementation of this special representatives meeting.
  • The two sides agreed to hold a new round of special representatives' meetings in India next year.

In the above context, a reading of India and Chinese statements after the meeting of the two SRs published in 'The India China Newsletter' makes interesting reading. The article brings out that China had more to say than the MES brief; by putting out two statements in Mandarin, in addition to a statement on the "Six Point Consensus" reached by both sides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bilateral meeting with the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit at Kazan, in Russia on October 23, 2024.

Viewed separately, the Indian statement lays emphasis on the SRs reiterating the importance of maintaining a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for settlement of the boundary question, and resolving to inject more vitality into this process.

China's stance on the boundary is not going to change since Beijing holds all the aces and it now also has Bangladesh's Islamist government as a China-Pakistan ally

In the case of China, Wang Yi stressed "putting the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations", jointly maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas, and promoting China-India relations to return to the track of healthy and stable development as soon as possible.

Salient points mentioned in the Chinese statement on the 'six-point consensus' include the following: both sides positively evaluated solution reached on border-related issues (resumption of patrolling), both agreed to take measures to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas; both reiterated keep looking for a package solution to resolve the border issue in accordance with political guiding principles reached by both SRs in 2005; both agreed to further refine border area control and rules and strengthen CBMs, strengthen cross-border exchanges/ cooperation, promote the resumption of Indian pilgrims' pilgrimage to Tibet, China, cross-border river cooperation and Nathula border trade.

The article lists out the following three points of agreement in both statements:

  1. both positively evaluated where things presently are;
  2. both agreed on CBMs, but will this lead to de-escalation and de-induction;
  3. resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, river data sharing and border trade.

Where does all this lead us to? A dispassionate analysis by of the two statements and the write up in the 'The India China Newsletter' would indicate that there is no fundamental change in China's from what Wang Yi has stated now - putting the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations or rather delink border issue from bilateral relations. This is something which China has been conveying in various meetings earlier, including the meetings between the two SRs.

India explicitly rejected China's claims regarding the "six-point consensus" on the boundary issue discussed during the SRs meeting

Finally, China's stance on the boundary is not going to change since Beijing holds all the aces and it now also has Bangladesh's Islamist government as a China-Pakistan ally – courtesy the US which worked assiduously to change the regime in that country. This was more than confirmed from news reports that on December 20, 2024, India explicitly rejected China's claims regarding the "six-point consensus" on the boundary issue discussed during the SRs meeting since unilateral changes proposed by China impinges on India's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Why this was not included in the MEA brief issued on December 18 was perhaps to avoid embarrassment at home. So, India can enjoy the Mansarovar Yatra and the Nathula trade unless hiccups arise. As regards to sharing river water data, China weaponized water years back and what data it wants to share is Beijing's decision.