Amid the Sikkim standoff, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to attend a two-day Brics meeting with his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. The border standoff in Doklam is likely to dominate Doval’s agenda.
Doval is expected to speak with China’s State Councillor Yang Jiechi to find a solution to the month-long standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies at Doklam in the Sikkim sector. He may call on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, reported NDTV.
Though Beijing has time and again said that no dialogue will be held until India removes its troops from the sector, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has hinted at a bilateral meeting between Doval and Yang, reported The Indian Express. Doval is also expected to explain India’s concerns over China’s Belt Road Initiative, in which it has refused to participate.
Bilateral ties have been strained since the Indian Army stopped China from constructing a road in the Sikkim sector’s Doklam area. New Delhi has made it clear that it will not allow China to construct a motorable road up to the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction through the Doklam plateau.
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