BEIJING, May 25 � Sticking to its stand that McMahon Line on India-China boundary is �illegal�, China today said it is ready to work with India to resolve the vexed border issue at an early date through �friendly consultations� to create more favourable conditions for bilateral ties, reports PTI.
�The Chinese side holds a consistent and clear position on the eastern section of the China-India boundary,� Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, reaffirming Beijing�s claims on Arunachal Pradesh, which it says is a part of �Southern Tibet�.
�The Chinese government does not recognise �the McMahon Line�, which is illegal,� she said, reacting to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval�s remarks made at the K F Rustamji lecture in New Delhi recently.
�The Chinese side is ready to work with the Indian side to resolve the boundary question through friendly consultation at an early date and create more favourable conditions for the development of the bilateral relations,� she said in a written response to a PTI query.
In his address on May 22, Doval said settlement of the border issue is �critical� for India-China ties and called for a �larger plan� for �tackling� that country to resolve all ticklish matters.
Doval, also the Special Representative of the Sino-India boundary talks, said while ties with China are looking up, �we are particularly concerned about the Eastern sector where the claims have been made on Tawang (in Arunachal Pradesh) which is totally in contravention of accepted principles�.
He also expressed surprise that while McMahon Line was agreed till Burma (Myanmar) by China, it was not accepted beyond it.