On March 26, 2025, Indian and Chinese officials met in Beijing to discuss the resumption of dialogue aimed at addressing each other's priority areas of interest and concern.

The meeting was led by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) from India, and Liu Jinsong, Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs from China. This dialogue is part of ongoing efforts to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations, which have been strained in recent years due to border tensions.

During the discussions, both sides reviewed the actions taken since the leaders of India and China met in October 2024. They noted positive developments in their relations, including two meetings between the Foreign Ministers and the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives addressing boundary issues.

The officials agreed to continue promoting people-to-people exchanges, which include plans for resuming direct flights, media interactions, and celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

A significant topic was the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, an important pilgrimage for Indian devotees that had been suspended due to previous tensions. The two nations made progress on modalities to resume this pilgrimage in 2025. Additionally, they discussed enhancing cross-border cooperation on various issues, including trans-border rivers.

The meeting concluded with both sides expressing a commitment to maintain and strengthen diplomatic and military mechanisms to ensure peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and facilitate further exchanges this year.

These steps are seen as vital for moving relations onto a more stable and predictable path as both countries work towards normalizing ties following a period of significant strain due to border conflicts since 2020.

ANI