India, China cannot afford another Doklam-like situation: Chinese envoy

Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the Doklam tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year

Press Trust of India  |  New Delhi 

Bilateral ties between India and China can't take the strain of another episode, envoy to India said on Monday, emphasising on the need to find a "mutually acceptable solution" on the boundary issue through a meeting of the Special Representatives.

Dwelling on Sino-Indian ties, he said it is quite natural to have differences but they need to be controlled and managed through cooperation.

"We need to control, manage, narrow differences through expanding cooperation. The boundary question was left over by history. We need to find a mutually acceptable solution through Special Representatives' Meeting while adopting confidence-building measures," he said.

"We cannot stand another (sic)," the envoy said.

He was delivering a keynote address on 'Beyond Wuhan: How Far and Fast can China-India Relations Go' at an event organised by the Embassy here.

Indian and Chinese troops were involved in a 73-day stand-off at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China between June to August last year.

One of the immediate fallouts of the Doklam stand-off was the suspension of the Yatra from Nathu-La side and the annual military exercise between the two countries. China also did not give the hydrological data of the Brahmaputra and the Indus river that originates in

The envoy today said China will continue to promote religious exchanges and make arrangements for Indian pilgrims going to in Tibet.

Post-Doklam, there have been frequent high-level engagements between the leaders of the two countries.

This year alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice in the last two months in and Qingdao.

Luo said the two leaders are also likely to meet on the sidelines of the Summit and Summit later this year.

He noted that security cooperation is one of the three pillars of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, an eight-member grouping also comprising India, China and Pakistan.

The envoy said the proposal of India, China and Pakistan holding a trilateral summit was "very constructive". Leaders of China, Russia and Mongolia hold a similar meet, he noted.

"This is a proposal suggested by some Indian friends and it is a very a good and constructive idea. Maybe not now, but in the future, that is the great idea."

The envoy added that relations between India and China have gone beyond the bilateral scope.

"We need to enhance coordination and cooperation in SCO, and join hands to tackle social challenges," he said.

Responding to a question on India-China cooperation in Afghanistan, Luo said the two countries have identified a programme to train Afghan public servants and diplomats.

"This is a first step and in future, there is more...," he said.

In the between Modi and Xi at the Wuhan, the two countries had agreed to work jointly on an economic project in Afghanistan.

First Published: Mon, June 18 2018. 16:53 IST