After a five-year pause, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi are set to reconvene the Special Representatives’ (SR) dialogue in Beijing on December 18, 2024. This 23rd round of talks aims to enhance peace and tranquility along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) and explore a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.
The SR dialogue, established in 2003, serves as a platform for high-level discussions on the India-China boundary issue. The last meeting occurred in December 2019, with subsequent interactions focusing on multilateral issues rather than boundary resolution. The eastern Ladakh border row in 2020 led to the suspension of the dialogue.
The decision to resume talks follows a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024, where both leaders agreed to boost communications and resolve conflicts. This led to a breakthrough in resolving disengagement issues at Demchok and Depsang Bulge in Eastern Ladakh, allowing both armies to resume mandatory border patrolling in these areas.Doval and Wang aim to build on this positive momentum by implementing new measures to strengthen peace along the border and advancing de-escalation and relocation efforts in contested areas of Eastern Ladakh. Both sides have previously amassed troops and hardware along the LAC, leading to heightened tensions. The current stability, with resumed patrols and addressed pastoral rights, sets a conducive environment for these talks.
China has expressed readiness to work with India to enhance mutual trust through dialogue, manage differences, and stabilize bilateral relations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of implementing the consensus reached by the two countries’ leaders and respecting each other’s core interests and major concerns.
The international community will closely watch the outcomes of this high-level engagement, hoping for a constructive dialogue that contributes to regional stability and improved bilateral relations between the two neighboring nations.
 dialogue in Beijing on December 18, 2024. This 23rd round of talks aims to enhance peace and tranquility along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) and explore a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question.){kind=link}