The appointment of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval a special representative for boundary talks with China is an important step in normalising the relations especially boundary talks. The post has been lying vacant for quiet sometime and appointment of Doval will give a fillip to India’s foreign policy especially when we have stable government in the Centre. Since the takeover of the new government in New Delhi there have been ‘out of box’ thinking instances on many crucial issues which were left unattended by the previous UPA Government leading to a policy vacuum at decision making level. This lethargy had its toll on India’s image abroad. But with the changing of guards a change in policy has also brought in better dividends, in this direction appointment of special representative for border talks with China holds significance. Both India and China have held 17 rounds of fruitless boundary talks which had resulted in the recent incursions in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Chinese position is that the border dispute is confined to 2,000 kms mostly in Arunachal Pradesh while India asserts that the dispute covered the western side of the border spanning about 4,000 km. India and China had established in 2003 the mechanism of Special Representatives to thrash out a resolution to the vexed boundary question. The last round was held in February in Delhi between the then NSA Shivshankar Menon and Yang. A permanent solution to the problem needs both sides to adopt a pragmatic approach. In this direction solving border dispute looks very realistic on ‘as is where is basis’ condition thus giving status to Line of Actual Control agreed by the two nations and look forward to partner economic growth. Both economies have good consumer market which should be used in solving dogmatic issues of border dispute which has kept the benefits of economic growth away from the people.
