Indo-China talks in January postponed after attacks

Last week, China stopped the UN sanctions committee from designating Azhar as an international terrorist, saying the case “did not meet the requirements” of the UN Security Council.

This round of SR talks was earlier due to be held in January but was postponed after the Pathankot terror attack on January 1. The last round of talks was held in March last year, after which it was reported Mr Doval and Mr Jiechi had “exchanged in depth their opinions on the boundary issue” and made “strategic communications” on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common interest. The SR talks are designed not only to address the boundary question but also to facilitate exchange of views on subjects of common interest in regional and international developments.

The two countries share a 4,057-km-long border on which they have differences of perception. China says the border dispute is confined only to 2,000 km, mostly in Arunachal Pradesh, whereas India asserts the dispute also covers the western side of the border spanning around 4,000 km, especially the Aksai Chin area annexed by China in the 1962 war.