Following talks between the Special Representatives (SRs) on the boundary question, India and China have agreed to substantial outcomes on managing their disputed border. An eight-point consensus, released on Wednesday, commits both sides to advance discussions on an early and substantial harvest of boundary delimitation. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Beijing to review this progress. They reaffirmed efforts to keep peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) over the past two years, and committed to continuing the normalisation in relations. The visit came ahead of India hosting the BRICS Summit on September 12, when Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend after a seven-year gap.

What Did the Talks Agree To?

  1. Trans-border rivers: both sides agreed to hold a meeting of an expert-level mechanism on trans-border rivers next month. They also agreed to maintain communication on sharing hydrological data, something India has long pushed for.
  2. Military and hotline channels: two additional meeting points for talks between top military commanders will be set up. Two new hotline channels will also be established, in the Eastern and Middle Sectors.
  3. Institutional mechanisms: the SR talks and the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) have kept the border stable over the past two years.

What Remains Unresolved?

  1. No clarity on delimitation: neither side has explained which parts of the border they plan to delimit. It is also unclear whether they are reconsidering the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles.
  2. That 2005 agreement first tasked the SRs with agreeing a framework to settle the boundary. Article 10 of its text notes that delineation can happen only on the basis of that framework.

Conclusion

Tangible progress on the border dispute must certainly be welcomed. But agreements made without public visibility, however meritorious, may invite suspicion. As India and China continue negotiating this long-running question, it is imperative that they bring their publics along.

Mains Angle

GS Paper II (International Relations): this piece is useful for questions on India-China relations, boundary-management mechanisms, and the balance between diplomatic progress and public accountability. Practice question: "Examine the institutional mechanisms India and China have developed to manage their boundary dispute. To what extent can procedural progress substitute for public transparency in resolving a long-standing territorial question?" (15 marks, 250 words)