India, China to form two groups on border issue, says Chinese envoy

India, China to Form Two Groups to Address Border Issue

Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong stated that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held important discussions with NSA Ajit Doval during his recent visit to India. He added that the two countries will establish two groups to address the border issue.

Chinese FM Wang Yi, in his visit to India, co-chaired the 24th round of  Special Representatives' (SRs) dialogue on the Boundary Question between India and China with the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on August 19 and held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar a day earlier.

He said one group will be for border delimitation into appropriate sectors, and the second group will focus on proper management of the border areas.

Xu Feihong emphasized that India and China should not let the border issue define their overall bilateral relationship. "Two groups will be set up by our two sides over the border issue. One group will be for border delimitation into appropriate sectors. The second group will focus on proper management of the border areas... We should not define the border issue as a relationship between our two countries. The border issue is on one side, and cooperation between India and China is on the other side," he told reporters.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a message and an invitation from President Xi Jinping to Prime Minister Modi for the SCO Summit, scheduled to take place in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The Prime Minister has conveyed his acceptance of the invitation.

The Chinese envoy also spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. "The visit of Prime Minister Modi to China will be a very important event not only for the SCO but for the bilateral relationship between the two countries," he said.

(With agency inputs)