India and China held 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 National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met China’s state councillor Yang Jiechi (pictured above) for the 20th round of the border talks.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the talks were not limited to the border disputes alone, The Hindu reported.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the talks “reflected the directions given by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Xiamen Summit meet of BRICS countries in September”.

“We hope the Indian side will work with China to make the most of the current mechanism to uphold security and peace as well as tranquility in the border area...” she said.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two sides had agreed to “maintain regular contact and to advance the development of bilateral relations in all areas”.

“The talks were positive and focussed on bringing out the full potential of the Closer Developmental Partnership between the two countries,” the ministry said.