BEIJING, 14 Jul: India and China should build on “good progress” in normalising the bilateral ties to address border-related issues including de-escalation, and it is essential to avoid “restrictive trade measures and roadblocks,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday during talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said the bilateral relations can develop in a “positive trajectory” on the foundation that differences should not become disputes and nor should competition become conflict, adding that the ties can be built only on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.
The external affairs minister said India hopes “zero tolerance for terrorism” will be upheld at the upcoming meeting of the SCO, saying its primary mandate is to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism – comments seen as a reference to Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism.
Jaishankar met Yi hours after he landed in China on a two-day visit to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). It is his first visit to the neighbouring country since bilateral ties witnessed a severe downturn following the Galwan valley clashes in June 2020.
The external affairs minister also held talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and conveyed to him that continued normali-sation of bilateral ties can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes.
In the last nine months, India and China have been engaged in normalising their relations after ending the military face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in October last year.
Though the two sides disengaged troops from the friction points, they are yet to de-escalate the situation by pulling back the frontline forces from the border. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the eastern Ladakh region.
In his remarks at the meeting with Yi, Jaishankar also underlined the need to avoid “restrictive” trade measures and “roadblocks,” in an apparent reference to Beijing’s approach on export of critical minerals as well as issues relating to the supply of fertilisers.
“We have made good progress in the past nine months for the normalisation of our bilateral relations. It is a result of the resolution of friction along the border and our ability to maintain peace and tranquillity there,” he said.
“This is the fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust and for smooth development of bilateral relations. It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation,” the external affairs minister said.
Jaishankar also repeated New Delhi’s consistent position that India-China ties should be based on “mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.”
The external affairs minister noted that “stable and constructive” ties between India and China are not only to each other’s benefit, but that of the world as well.
“This is best done by handling relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.”
“We have also earlier agreed that differences should not become disputes, nor should competition ever become conflict. On this foundation, we can now continue to develop our ties along a positive trajectory,” he said.
Jaishankar travelled to China less than three weeks after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Chinese port city of Qingdao to participate in the SCO defence ministers’ conference.
The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.
The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on 21 October last year.
The decision to revive various dialogue mechanisms was taken at the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Jinping in Kazan.
The Modi-Jinping meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok.
