Doval hopeful, positive about boundary talks with China

Describing the boundary talks with China as "positive", National Security Adviser Ajit Doval today said India has inalienable positions and the government will protect vital national interests.
The comments by NSA Ajit Doval comes just days after the 18th round of talks here on the the vexed boundary issue between him and Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
Doval underlined that there are areas of convergence between India and China despite the boundary issue.
"We are very happy that the round of talks are going on because if they are not, it means that conflict is the only way for resolution," Doval said at a seminar here.

He said the fact that both sides think there is a possibility of conflict resolution without conflict is itself good.
Asked if he felt that the fresh rounds of talks under him will be better than the earlier ones, he said that will depend on many things.

Doval noted that everybody in the past "must have done a very good job in the given circumstances that they were operating".
He said that India was hopeful for a resolution and there was positive attitude.
"But there are also some inalienable positions as far as India is concerned and I think the need for us is to see that our vital national interests are protected," he said.

The NSA, however, did not elaborate as to what these inalienable positions are.
China has been staking claim to Arunachal Pardesh but India has downright rejected that as it maintains that the northeastern state is an integral part of India.
During the boundary talks this week, India and China agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas, holding that to be a "pre-requisite" for continued growth of bilateral relations and also for enhancing cooperation in key areas, including counter-terrorism, maritime security and civil nuclear energy sector.
In the first such engagement since the Narendra Modi-led government came to power, the Special Representatives (SRs), Doval and Jiechi, held the 18th round of boundary talks and agreed to further expand contact between the armed forces of the two countries as these constitute important confidence- building measures for maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas.