Sanjay Sethi
Press TV, New Delhi
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi for the 18th round of talks aimed at finding a lasting solution to the long-running border dispute between the two nations.
India says the dispute is about a territory on western side of the border that runs over 4000 kms and a 33,000 Sq km area in Aksai Chin area in the Himalayan region.
The area was annexed by China after the 1962 brief war with India.
China on its part says that only 2,000 kms of borderline territory and some regions close to the north eastern state of Arunach Pradesh are disputed territories. China has refused to share any maps with India or accept Indian ones in the past.
Intrusions by the People's Liberation Army on a number of occasions dominated the talks with the Indian leadership during last year’s visit by President Xi Jinping.
President Xi sought to address the issue immediately on his return to Bejing to clear the murkiness that were affecting bilateral ties.
Last year, Occasional intrusions by the People's Liberation Army into Indian territory dominated the talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jin Ping. On his return to Beijing President Xi sought to address the issue immediately and clear up the murkiness that were affecting bilateral ties.
Both countries have however managed to maintain peace without a single shot being fired by troops on both sides of the border. however claims and counter -claims continue to be made by both sides about the rightful owner of the territory.
Analysts say though an eventual settlement of the decades-old border disputes is still far away, the meeting between top Indian and Chinese officials in New Delhi is a significant step in ironing out differences ahead of the India Prime Minister’s visit to China in May.