NSA Ajit Doval Expected to Visit Beijing Soon for SR Dialogue

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is expected to visit Beijing in the coming weeks to head the Indian delegation at a new session of the Special Representatives dialogue concerning the broader boundary issue, marking the first such meeting in nearly five years, according to reliable sources.
The previous Special Representatives (SR) dialogue was held in New Delhi in December 2019.
The revival of this dialogue was agreed upon during discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23.
Sources indicate that NSA Doval’s trip to China is imminent for the 23rd round of SR talks.
It is anticipated that this dialogue will occur either later this month or in early January, though there has been no official announcement regarding the meeting’s location.
In preparation for the forthcoming SR dialogue, India and China engaged in diplomatic talks on December 5.
NSA Doval serves as India’s Special Representative for these talks, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi leads the delegation for China.
No SR dialogue has taken place in the last five years due to the standoff in eastern Ladakh.
The military confrontation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, exacerbated by a violent clash in Galwan Valley in June that year, severely straining relations between the two nations.
The standoff effectively concluded following the completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points at Demchok and Depsang, with an agreement formalized on October 21.
Just two days after this agreement, Modi and Xi discussed various dialogue mechanisms, including the revival of the Special Representatives dialogue on boundary issues, during a meeting at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. (Agencies)