India, China SR talks on Apr 20, Masood issue may figure

It was earlier scheduled to be held in January 1 but was postponed because of Pathankot terror attack

India and China will hold next round of Special Representatives (SR) talks on April 20 during, which NSA Ajit Doval is expected to raise the issue of China blocking move to get Pakistan-based JeM Chief Masood Azhar designated as international terrorist.

The two-day talks in Beijing, 19th round of such parleys, will focus on boundary and strategic issues, official sources said here today.

Doval, who is the SR for Sino-India boundary talks, will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. He is also expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

At the 19th round of SR talks, the two sides are expected to review the status of the situation on the border and ways to maintain peace and tranquility there, the sources said.

"We want to move forward," a senior official said here about the ties with China.

The talks are taking place in the backdrop of China blocking at the UN India's move to get JeM chief designated as international terrorist. Doval is expected to raise this issue with Yang.

Last week, China stopped UN sanctions committee from designating Azhar as terrorist, maintaining that the case "did not meet the requirements" of the Security Council.

This round of SR talks was earlier scheduled to be held in January but was postponed because of Pathankot terror attack on January 1.

The last round of talks was held in March last year after which it was reported that Doval and Yang "exchanged in depth their opinions on the boundary issue" and made "strategic communications" on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common interest.

The SR talks are designed not only to address the boundary question but also to facilitate exchange of views on subjects of common interest in regional and international developments.

The two countries share a 4,057 km long border on which they have differences of perception.

China says the border dispute is confined only to 2,000 kms mostly in Arunachal Pradesh whereas India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning to about 4,000 kms, especially the Aksai Chin area annexed by China in 1962 war.