NSA Doval tells China’s top diplomat: “Situation on LAC since 2020 eroded strategic trust”

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval Monday met Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat and conveyed that the situation along the Line of Actual Control in the Western sector of the India-China border since 2020 has eroded strategic trust between the two countries.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Political Bureau and Director of the Office of the CPC Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi took place on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs’ meeting in Johannesburg in South Africa.

“During the meeting, NSA conveyed that the situation along the 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 MEA said.

NSA Doval emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, in order to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral relations, the MEA added.

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, the MEA said.

The meeting between NSA Doval and China’s top diplomat took place days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Wang Yi in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital and discussed issues related 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 with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border area.