Yet another round - the 12th - of Sino-Indian talks to resolve the complicated boundary dispute concluded here today with China stating that no specific agreements had been reached. Two days of discussions between India’s National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and China’s State Councilor Dai Bingguo were “pragmatic, candid and friendly,” according to a cryptic statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The talks concluded without “reaching any specific agreements,” the official news agency Xinhua said. After a year-long hiatus, the boundary talks were held amid some tension in bilateral ties in the wake of attempts by China to block a consensus on the India-specific waiver at the NSG meet in Vienna earlier this month.
Beijing’s stand at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) upset New Delhi, which conveyed its unhappiness to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during his visit to New Delhi last week. China maintains it played a positive role at the crucial NSG meet.
The brief statement said Dai and Narayanan, both designated as Special Representatives by the two governments, exchanged in-depth views on a framework to solve the boundary issue. “They agreed that both countries would carry out the guidelines of their leaders, maintain negotiations and seek a fair and reasonable solution acceptable to both sides,” the official Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.
The next round of talks between the two sides will be held in India. It is not clear if the two sides discussed the status of Tawang, nestled among the mountains in Arunachal Pradesh which has long been a serious bone of contention.