NSA Ajit Doval meets top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, calls for removal of 'impediments' in bilateral ties

Johannesburg: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a meeting with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi during which he emphasised the need for continuing efforts to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas to remove the "impediments" to normalcy in bilateral relations.

Doval and Wang met on the sidelines of the Friends of BRICS meeting here in South Africa on Monday.

During their meeting, Doval conveyed that the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

He emphasised the "importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral relations," the statement said.

The two sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship is significant not only for the two countries but also for the region and world, it said.

The meeting came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and discussed outstanding issues relating to peace and tranquillity in border areas.

India has been locked in a military standoff with China for more than three years, with Jaishankar describing it to be the most complex challenge in his long diplomatic career.

India has maintained that the bilateral relationship cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border area.

Wang during the meeting with Doval said the two sides should enhance strategic mutual trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome obstacles and bring bilateral relations back on track of sound and stable development as soon as possible, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang stressed that China will never seek hegemony, and stands ready to work with developing countries, including India, to support multilateralism and the democratisation of international relations, and promote the more just and equitable development of international order.

Earlier on Monday, Doval called for collective efforts to deal with challenges emanating from cybersecurity at the Friends of BRICS meeting. The NSA also held several bilaterals with his counterparts from and Friends of BRICS countries.

South Africa is hosting the BRICS Summit next month.

BRICS is a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.