India and China will hold border talks in New Delhi on Friday, the first such meeting between the two countries after the 74-day military standoff in Doklam earlier this year.

India’s External Affairs Ministry said Chinese State Councillor and Special Representative Yang Jiechi will visit New Delhi on Friday to hold talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the meeting between Doval and Yang is “not only a high-level channel for the two countries to hold talks on boundary questions but also an important platform for them to conduct strategic communication”. He said both sides will “exchange views on China-India relations and the major international and regional issues of common concern”.

Chunying, however, refused to reveal the points of discussion drawn up for the meeting.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on December 11 that the standoff between the two armies in the Sikkim sector’s Doklam region had put “severe pressure” on bilateral relations. Lessons should be learnt and it should not happen again, Wang had said.