India, China agree on resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, cross-border river cooperation, Nathula border trade

Beijing [China], December 18 : Following the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives, India and China reaffirmed their commitment to promote the resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, cross-border river cooperation and Nathula border trade.
During the meeting, both sides agreed on measures to maintain peace and tranquility along the border, and strengthen mechanisms for diplomatic and military negotiations, with plans for a follow-up meeting in India next year.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release said, "On December 18, 2024, the 23rd meeting of the Special Representatives on the China-India Boundary Question was held in Beijing. This was the first meeting between the two sides in five years."
"Based on the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries in the Kazan meeting, Chinese Special Representative, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office Wang Yi and Indian Special Representative and National Security Advisor Doval held substantive discussions on the China-India border issue in a positive and constructive manner and reached six consensuses," the release added.
The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cross-border exchanges and cooperation, and promote the resumption of Indian pilgrims' pilgrimage to Tibet, China, cross-border river cooperation and Nathula border trade.
Both sides also positively evaluated the solution reached between the two countries on border issues, reiterated that the implementation work should continue, and believed that the border issue should be properly handled from the overall situation of bilateral relations so as not to affect the development of bilateral relations.
Both sides agreed to continue to take measures to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations.
India and China also reaffirmed its commitment to continue seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable package solution to the boundary issue in accordance with the political guidelines agreed upon by the special representatives of the two countries on resolving the boundary issue in 2005, and to take positive measures to promote this process.
The two sides assessed the border situation and agreed to further refine the management and control rules in the border area, strengthen the building of confidence-building measures, and achieve sustainable peace and tranquility on the border, the Chinese Foreign Ministry further said.
The two sides agreed to further strengthen the construction of the special representatives' meeting mechanism, enhance coordination and cooperation in diplomatic and military negotiations, and require the China-India Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs (WMCC) to carry out follow-up implementation of this special representatives' meeting.
Both nations also agreed to hold a new round of special representatives' meetings in India next year, and the specific time will be determined through diplomatic channels.
In addition, the two sides also had an extensive and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral, international and regional issues of common concern, emphasising the importance of a stable, predictable and good China-India relationship to international and regional peace and stability.
Notably, Doval is in China and on Wednesday, he attended the 23d Meeting of the Special Representatives of India and China, along with Wang Yi, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, with discussions focusing on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border.
"The SRs met in accordance with the decision taken during the recent meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan for them to meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.
The SRs also reiterated the importance of maintaining a political perspective of the overall bilateral relationship while seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable framework for the settlement of the boundary question, and resolved to inject more vitality into this process.
"Both SRs underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship. They emphasised the need to ensure peaceful conditions on the ground so that issues on the border do not hold back the normal development of bilateral relations. Drawing on the learnings from the events of 2020, they discussed various measures to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border and advance effective border management. They decided to use, coordinate and guide the relevant diplomatic and military mechanisms towards this purpose," the MEA added.
The SRs also exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and provided positive directions for cross-border cooperation and exchanges including resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, data sharing on trans-border rivers and border trade. They also agreed on the salience of stable, predictable and amicable India-China relations for regional and global peace and prosperity.
NSA Doval also invited Wang Yi to visit India at a mutually convenient date to hold the next round of SR meeting.
This was the first meeting of the SRs since friction had emerged in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas in 2020. The SRs positively affirmed the implementation of the latest disengagement agreement of October 2024, resulting in patrolling and grazing in relevant areas.