India, China to hold first NSA meeting in three years amid border de-escalation efforts: Report

During their meeting in Rio in November, the foreign ministers of India and China also decided that the two SRs and foreign secretaries would meet soon.

India and China are planning to hold their first meeting in three years between the national security advisers (NSAs) under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism, according to a report by The Economic Times. The meeting is set to take place this month in Beijing.

Foreign ministry officials from both nations met on December 5 to finalise the SR meeting, which was agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their discussion in Kazan at the BRICS Summit in October, ET reported.

The two sides are currently working to finalise the dates for NSA Ajit Doval’s visit to China. Following the SR meeting, there will be a foreign secretary-deputy minister-level meeting to discuss the way forward in the relationship, particularly after the recent de-escalation along the border in Ladakh.

The SR-level meeting will focus on issues related to de-escalation, the boundary dispute, and broader geopolitical concerns. The SR mechanism, which was established during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister, was specifically created to address the ongoing boundary dispute between the two countries.

Additionally, the 32nd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on December 5 to prepare for the upcoming SR meeting. Officials told ET that both sides have positively affirmed the successful implementation of the disengagement agreement, which resolved the issues that arose in 2020. This was the first WMCC meeting since the border agreement and the Kazan meeting.

During their meeting in Rio in November, the foreign ministers of India and China also decided that the two SRs and foreign secretaries would meet soon. Although the NSAs last met in St. Petersburg earlier this year on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA meeting, it was not in the SR mechanism format, and the discussions focused primarily on early disengagement at the remaining friction points in Ladakh.

The Indian delegation at the WMCC meeting was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was headed by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Affairs Department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both sides reviewed the situation in the border areas and reflected on lessons learned from the events of 2020 to prevent a recurrence. They emphasised the importance of maintaining regular exchanges at both diplomatic and military levels through established mechanisms, agreeing on the need for effective border management and the continued maintenance of peace and tranquility in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements. The leader of the Chinese delegation also met with the Indian Foreign Secretary during his visit.