Very happy that India, China moving forward on discussing boundary question: Fmr Army chief Naravane

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Former Army chief Gen M M Naravane (retd) has said that it is "fortuitous" that India-China ties are "on the mend" with a number of initiatives announced at political, diplomatic and military levels for the improvement of "our engagements and relations" going forward.

In his address at an event here on Thursday evening, he also said, "We are hopeful that China too will reciprocate our goodwill as we move ahead." His remarks come amid a major thaw in China-India ties. India and China on Tuesday unveiled a series of measures for a "stable, cooperative and forward-looking" relationship that included jointly maintaining peace along the frontier, reopening border trade, promoting investment flows, and resuming direct flight connectivity at the earliest.

The announcements aimed at realising the "full" development potential of the two Asian giants came amid growing estrangement in ties between India and the US over President Donald Trump's policies on trade and tariffs.

"It's not that the current momentum of change and interaction that is taking place between India and China is something that has been forced upon us due to some events. We always wanted good relations with China," Gen Naravane (retd) said.

He also expressed happiness that India and China are "moving forward" on discussing the boundary question.

"It is a boundary and not a border, and like in a boundary, it is open to negotiations... a certain amount of give and take is possible," the former Army chief said.

On Tuesday, India and China listed the measures in a joint document after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held wide-ranging talks earlier this week with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, besides meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"It is fortuitous that over the last couple of weeks, our relations with China are on the mend, a number of initiatives have been announced at political, diplomatic and military levels so that our engagements and relations improve as we go forward," Naravane said.

Wang paid a two-day visit to India, and his trip has largely been seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

Gen Naravane said post-2020, "a large amount of forces are arrayed on either side of the Line of Actual Control" and recalled that the external affairs minister had cautioned about the presence of such a large number of troops along the LAC.

"Definitely, not a situation in our common interest. We need to move forward and try to resolve it as soon as possible," he said.

The former Army chief asserted that it was his "hope for the future that our relations will improve". The two most populous nations of the world, not seeing eye to eye, do not bode well," he added.

In his address, Gen Naravane (retd) also underlined the historic ties between the two countries. "We were cooperating together for so many centuries... Post-independence, we didn't quite see eye to eye on certain issues, leading to the 1962 war, which strained relations thereafter." "If you look at the civilisational timeline, the last 60-70 years are but a very small blip on this entire timeline.

"These kinds of ups and downs in the relationship between the two countries are bound to occur; nothing abnormal about it. Nevertheless, this blip in the relations cannot be just set aside or brushed under the carpet. It is an important and emotive issue between the two countries, and the sooner we settle it, the better it will be for the world at large," the former Army chief said.

Gen Naravane was appointed as the 28th Chief of Army Staff in December 2019 and superannuated in April 2022 after four decades of illustrious and meritorious service.

On the India-China boundary question, he mentioned the Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the India-China Boundary Question, signed in 2005.

"Not much progress has been made, but the fact that it is being talked about once again gives us hope as we move forward," he added.

He also quoted Prime Minister Narendra Modi from a 2024 interview.

"It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us," Modi had said in the interview. PTI KND RHL RHL