The talks led by China's Southern Xinjiang Military District chief and India's 14 Corps commander were held in the border area on the Chinese side on Saturday. /Representational photo via Xinhua
Senior Chinese and Indian military officers, led by top tactical commanders, held their first round of talks Saturday aimed at easing the ongoing border tensions peacefully.
Senior Chinese and Indian military officers, led by top tactical commanders, held their first round of talks Saturday aimed at easing the ongoing border tensions peacefully.
The talks led by China's Southern Xinjiang Military District chief and India's 14 Corps commander were held in the border area on the Chinese side and ended in "positive trajectory", The Global Times reported citing Indian media reports.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement Sunday that the talks were held "in a cordial and positive atmosphere" with both sides agreeing to "peacefully resolve" the situation.
"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained communications through established diplomatic and military channels to address the situation in areas along the India-China border," it said.
At Saturday's meeting "both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements and keeping in view the agreement between the leaders that peace and tranquility in the India-China border regions is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," the MEA said.
A screenshot of the statement by India's Ministry of External Affairs on the meeting of Chinese and Indian military commanders.
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Noting that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-India diplomatic relations, the commanders agreed that an "early resolution" is vital for further development of ties between the Asian neighbors.
Noting that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-India diplomatic relations, the commanders agreed that an "early resolution" is vital for further development of ties between the Asian neighbors.
"Accordingly, the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquility in the border areas," it added.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has also stressed that the overall situation on the China-India border is stable and controllable, and diplomatic and military channels of communication between the two sides are unimpeded.
"On border-related issues, there have been sound mechanisms and channels of communication between China and India, and the two sides are capable of properly resolving relevant issues through dialogue and consultation," MOFA spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated last week.
Screenshots of tweets by Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong.
Screenshots of tweets by Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong.
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On Friday, a day before the military commanders' talks, Wu Jianghao, director general of the Asian Department of China's MOFA, held a video conference with Naveen Srivastava, joint secretary for East Asia at India's MEA, in the highest-level diplomatic engagement since the latest border tensions erupted in early May.
"They agreed that the two sides should follow the strategic guidance of the two leaders, put into action that China and India pose no threat to each other and represent development opportunities for each other, and differences should not be turned into disputes," Chinese ambassador to India, Sun Weidong, tweeted after the conference.
Chinese experts told Global Times that Saturday's military talks ensured that the latest border flare-up will not likely escalate into another Doklam standoff. A screenshot of the tweet by the daily. /CGTN
Chinese experts, meanwhile, told Global Times that Saturday's military talks ensured that the latest border flare-up will not likely escalate into another Doklam standoff. However, due to the complexity of the situation, the military standoff could continue for a little longer, they noted.
Chinese experts, meanwhile, told Global Times that Saturday's military talks ensured that the latest border flare-up will not likely escalate into another Doklam standoff. However, due to the complexity of the situation, the military standoff could continue for a little longer, they noted.
Qian Feng, a senior fellow at the Taihe Institute and director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing, told the Global Times the talks indicated that both sides are paying great attention to the situation and do not want to escalate it.
China and India have gained a great deal of experience from the 2017 Doklam incident, and since then all kinds of bilateral mechanisms including on military, diplomatic and local issues have been established, which has eliminated the possibility of an incident escalating into a crisis, experts told the daily.
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