Wang Yi is China s key negotiator on border talks with India (Lead)

Beijing March 19 (IANS) China s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will now be its key negotiator with India on the vexed border issue after Beijing promoted him on Monday to the country s top diplomatic post of State Councillor.

Wang succeeds Yang Jiechi China s senior-most diplomat who until now was the country s Special Representative on border talks with India.

While Wang will remain the Foreign Minister Yang s role was not immediately known. A hawkish Yang was elected to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party last year.

Wang will talk to India s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval who is its Special Representative on boundary talks.

China and India by far have held 20 rounds of talks on their 3 448-km disputed border. The countries fought a war in 1962 and have seen their armies cross into each other s territories due to the different perceptions of the boundary.

Wang repeatedly slammed India during the 73-day military stand-off at Doklam in the eastern sector of their border last year.

The crisis which further soured the already tense ties was resolved in August.

Wang however struck a positive tone about Sino-India ties while addressing the media on the sidelines of China s ongoing annual parliament session.

Wang said if China and India were united then one plus will be equivalent to 11 a remark welcomed by India and answered in the similar tone.

India s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale last month met Wang who had a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Wang had previously served as China s envoy to Japan and worked at the Asia desk of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

A foreign minister s job in China is not a top-notch one as the international units of the Communist Party has more say in the formulation of Beijing s foreign policy.

However Wang s elevation indicates a bigger role for him.

--IANS
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