JOHANNESBURG: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and discussed bilateral ties with him. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Friends of BRICS meeting here in South Africa on Monday.
The meeting came days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, and discussed outstanding issues relating to peace and tranquillity in border areas.
India has been locked in a military standoff with China for more than three years, with Jaishankar describing it to be the most complex challenge in his long diplomatic career. India has maintained that the bilateral relationship cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border area.
During the meeting with Doval, Wang said the two sides should enhance strategic mutual trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome obstacles and bring bilateral relations back on track for sound and stable development as soon as possible, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
Wang stressed that China will never seek hegemony, and stands ready to work with developing countries, including India, to support multilateralism and the democratisation of international relations, and promote the more just and equitable development of international order.
Earlier on Monday, Doval called for collective efforts to deal with challenges emanating from cybersecurity at the Friends of BRICS meeting.
The NSA also held several bilaterals with his counterparts from and Friends of BRICS countries.
South Africa is hosting the BRICS Summit next month. BRICS is a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.