18th Round of Talks between India and China on the Boundary Question held in New Delhi

18th round of talks between the Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question was held in New Delhi on 24 March 2015.

The India was represented by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China was represented Yang Jiechi, State Councillor of China.

Main highlights of the 18th Round of Talks

• India and China agreed to maintain peace along their Himalayan border till an amicable solution to pending border disputes is found.

• The two sides also discussed the issue of counterterrorism, maritime security, climate change, reform of the United Nations and civil nuclear energy cooperation.

• Also, the two Special Representatives emphasized the importance of high-level exchanges for strengthening bilateral ties.

• The two sides also agreed to build on the momentum provided by the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September 2014 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 also 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 framework of talks between Special Representatives between India and China on Boundary Questions was adopted in 2003.

India-China Border dispute

The border dispute between India and China is related to disagreement over the 4056 kilometers Indo-China border which is also called Line of Actual Control (LoAC).

China claims more than 90000 sq km in the eastern sector of the Himalayas which is disputed by India. Much of that forms the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls South Tibet.

India claims that China occupies 38000 square km of its territory on the Aksai Chin plateau in the west.

Also, under a China-Pakistan boundary agreement signed in March 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5180 sq. km of Indian Territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to China, an area north of the Siachen glacier.