India and China have agreed to establish two additional military hotline channels and two more meeting points as part of a broader effort to improve border management and reduce the risk of misunderstanding along the Line of Actual Control. The decisions formed part of an eight-point consensus reached during the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks on the boundary question, held in Beijing on August 25.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India at the talks, while the Chinese side was led by Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs. The two representatives held detailed discussions on the boundary question and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas for the steady development of bilateral relations.
The two sides agreed that emerging situations on the ground should be addressed promptly through existing diplomatic and military channels. These include the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs, local commander-level meetings and other mechanisms already accepted by both countries. The stated objective is to resolve outstanding issues quickly and avoid miscalculation along the LAC.
Under the latest understanding, two additional channels of military hotline will be created in the Eastern and Middle sectors. Two additional meeting points will also be established for engagements under the General Level Mechanism or the Senior Highest Military Commander framework. The measures are intended to widen direct communication between field formations and provide more options for managing local incidents.
India and China also decided to move forward with discussions on a framework for resolving the wider boundary question. The negotiations are to remain guided by the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles and by understandings reached in subsequent rounds of Special Representatives’ talks. Both sides reiterated that any eventual solution should be fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable.
An Expert Group on Boundary Delimitation and a Working Group on Border Management will take up separate aspects of the process under the existing consultation mechanism. Their first task will be to settle their terms of reference. The two sides also discussed improving their understanding of the LAC in appropriate areas, a step viewed as important for more predictable border management.
The talks covered cooperation beyond security arrangements. Both countries noted the reopening of three designated border trading points and agreed to strengthen exchanges involving border trade and pilgrimage. India acknowledged efforts to increase the number of official batches for the Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The two sides will hold the next meeting of their expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers in September, with hydrological data sharing and renewal of relevant agreements among the issues to be discussed. The 26th round of Special Representatives’ talks is scheduled to be held in India next year. The latest outcome does not resolve the boundary dispute, but it expands the practical mechanisms available to prevent local tensions from escalating while formal negotiations continue.
