China, India hold border talks, agree to continue search for boundary settlement

BEIJING, Aug 25 - China and India agreed on Tuesday to continue dialogue and seek a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement" of their border issue after talks between senior diplomats in Beijing.The world's two most populous nations, both nuclear powers, share a roughly 3,800-km (2,400-mile), largely undemarcated and disputed border in the Himalayas.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had "comprehensive, in-depth, friendly and candid" discussions on border affairs and bilateral ties, China's foreign ministry said in a statement.Wang said China-India relations were no longer only of bilateral importance but carried global and strategic significance, saying the two neighbours should strengthen communication and reduce their differences.Ties between Beijing and New Delhi have gradually improved in recent years following a deadly 2020 border clash, which led to a four-year military standoff before a disengagement agreement was reached in October 2024.Last year Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years, in a sign of a thaw in relations. More recently, a fresh border-related dispute triggered sharp diplomatic exchanges between the two rivals."Both sides should learn from historical experience, place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, and move forward without stagnation, regression, or deviation," Wang was quoted as telling Doval at Tuesday's meeting.The two countries have agreed to hold the next round of border talks in India in 2027, the Chinese statement added. REUTERS