The Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India–China Boundary Question is a formal international agreement, or treaty provision, signed between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the People's Republic of China. It was signed on April 11, 2005, in New Delhi, during the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The agreement's creation was a direct outcome of the Special Representative (SR) mechanism established in 2003 to explore a framework for resolving the long-standing boundary dispute. The problem it sought to solve was the lack of a political framework to guide the technical negotiations for the final delineation of the India-China boundary.
The agreement works by setting the political and substantive principles for a final settlement, rather than defining the boundary itself. Article III is a key provision, mandating that both sides must make "meaningful and mutually acceptable adjustments to their respective positions" to arrive at a "package settlement" covering all sectors of the boundary. This package approach is a shift from sector-by-sector bargaining. The principles for determining the boundary include considering "historical evidence, national sentiments, practical difficulties and reasonable concerns and sensitivities". Furthermore, Article VII requires the settlement to safeguard the "due interests of their settled populations in the border areas". Pending a final solution, Article IX requires both sides to strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and maintain peace and tranquility.
This agreement connects directly to the earlier 1993 and 1996 agreements on maintaining peace and tranquility along the LAC. It also anchors the process in the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel). The agreement has not been replaced or amended since its signing. Despite the lack of a final settlement framework, the agreement remains the accepted political basis for negotiations, with both sides reiterating their commitment to advance talks "in accordance with" the 2005 Agreement in recent rounds of the SR talks.