India and China agreed to work with "urgency" and "redouble" their efforts to achieve total disengagement in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.
The announcement by the ministry of external affairs came after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the sidelines of a meeting in St Petersburg of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) high-ranking officials responsible for security matters.
Doval conveyed to Wang that peace and tranquility in border areas and respect for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are important for the return of normalcy in bilateral ties.
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The militaries of India and China have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved even as the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points in Ladakh.
The ties between the two countries were adversely impacted following the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020—the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. India and China have so far held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff.
Doval and Yi discussed the progress made in the recent consultations on border issues, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a press release.
The two sides have also agreed to work together to create conditions for the improvement of bilateral relations.
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Doval and Yi expressed the belief that the stability of the China-India ties is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the people of both countries and is conducive to regional peace and development.
The Chinese foreign ministry said India and China agreed to implement the consensus reached by the heads of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding and trust, maintain continuous communication, and create conditions for boosting bilateral ties.
