New Delhi: The proposed annual meeting this month between special representatives from India and China to discuss border issues has been delayed.As per sources, the meeting was supposed to be held this month between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and State Councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi, though no dates had been decided.It has been confirmed that this meeting, the 22nd edition of special representative talks on the boundary question, has now been delayed.Later in October, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are supposed to be meeting for the second informal summit at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu. Therefore, this meeting was also seen as an agenda-setter for the leaders’ discussions.The delay, as per sources, was due to the Indian side asking for a rescheduling of the meeting. It is not yet clear why India asked for the change in dates.China and India recently had a spat over the change in the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir. China had specifically complained about the carving out of Ladakh as a union territory, which Beijing said was a violation of border agreements. India ticked off China for commenting on an “internal matter” of another country.This friction carried on to the United Nations in New York. China’s backing was crucial for the UN Security Council to discuss Kashmir for the first time in over 50 years, albeit in an informal format without any record of discussions.Also read: India, Russia Want to Diversify, Strengthen Bilateral Relations: PM ModiIn his welcome address, the new Chinese ambassador to India, Sun Weidong said on Tuesday that for “neighbours and major countries, differences are hard to avoid”. “The key is to properly handle them. We should look at issues with rationality, put them in the bigger picture, reduce differences through consultation, settle disputes through dialogue, promote peace through development, and enhance mutual trust through cooperation,” he said.He termed peace as a “precondition for development”. “Without peace, it is difficult to achieve economic growth, improvement of people’s livelihoods, and social stability,” said Sun. There was no mention of any specific dispute or the latest Kashmir developments in his speech.The newly-appointed Chinese envoy suggested four ‘dimensions’ to promote bilateral ties – “Leading, transmitting, shaping and integrating”.The first dimension was apparently about making the second informal summit “a success by highlighting the guidance of the two leaders”, while the second one was about “transmission of the leaders’ consensus to all levels and translate the consensus into tangible cooperation and outcomes”.Sun also hoped that the third dimension in bilateral relations – “shaping” – meant going “beyond the mode of managing differences, shaping bilateral relations and accumulating positive momentum”. ““Integrating” means to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, promote convergence of interests and achieve common development,” he added.Also read: Is Crunch Time Approaching for Hong Kong Protests?Commenting on the situation in Hong Kong, Sun claimed that some “radical protestors” had carried out “violent crimes”, while “some external forces meddled in China’s internal affairs, deliberately calling violent crimes as peaceful protest”.“There is no sovereign issue over Hong Kong at all. We would never allow any external forces to interfere in Hong Kong affairs. Be it in the past, present or future, China has the ability, confidence and resilience to overcome any risk and challenge,” he said.
