China and India agree to accelerate border negotiations

China and India have agreed to accelerate the negotiation process and accommodate each other's legitimate concerns to find a solution to the border issue that is mutually accepted by both sides.

The pledge was made as the two sides held on Wednesday the 30th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs in New Delhi.

The talks followed a recent meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Vientiane where they agreed to work for new progress in consultations on border affairs.

During Wednesday's meeting, both sides agreed to actively implement the important consensus reached in the latest meeting between the two foreign ministers. They also agreed to focus on specific border-related issues and consider each other's legitimate concerns, and to reach an early solution acceptable to both countries.

They agreed to maintain diplomatic and military communication channels and strengthen negotiation mechanisms to promote the sound and stable development of China-India relations.

Both sides also committed to strictly adhering to existing agreements as well as upholding peace and tranquility in the border areas.

In another development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian expressed heartfelt thanks on Thursday to relevant Indian departments and personnel as they provided humanitarian rescue work to a Chinese crew member.

Recently, a Chinese crew member was accidentally injured while conducting maritime operations off Mumbai's coast. He received prompt assistance and treatment from the Indian side. The crew member is now in a stable condition and has returned to China for further recovery, Lin told a daily news briefing.