New Delhi: India and China have discussed the next steps in normalising bilateral ties after the disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and agreed to convene meetings of the Special Representatives on the border issue and the senior-most diplomats soon.
These matters figured at a meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. This was the first meeting between the foreign ministers since India and China completed the disengagement of troops at the remaining “friction points” of Demchok and Depsang towards the end of October.
The ministers acknowledged that the disengagement had “contributed to the maintenance of peace and tranquillity”, the external affairs ministry said in a readout. Their discussions “focused on the next steps in India-China relations” and the two sides agreed a “meeting of the Special Representatives and of the foreign secretary-vice minister mechanism will take place soon”, it said.
Among the next steps discussed were resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, sharing of data on trans-border rivers, direct flights between India and China and media exchanges, the readout said. A statement from China’s foreign ministry said Wang raised the issue of “facilitating visas as soon as possible”.
The Indian readout added: “The two ministers felt that it was imperative that the focus should be on stabilising ties, managing differences and taking the next steps.”
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said: “Our leaders have directed that the foreign ministers and the Special Representatives should meet at an early date. Some progress, some discussions have happened in that direction.”
He noted the implementation of an understanding reached by the two sides on October 21 regarding the disengagement had “proceeded as planned”.
India-China relations hit a six-decade low due to a military standoff in Ladakh sector of the LAC, which began in April-May 2020, and a brutal clash in Galwan Valley in June the same year that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops.
Following the October 21 agreement on patrolling arrangements that facilitated the disengagement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met two days later on the margins of the Brics Summit in the Russian city of Kazan and agreed to revive several mechanisms to resolve the boundary issue and normalise the overall bilateral relationship.
Jaishankar pointed out during the meeting that India and China have differences and convergences on the global situation and international issues. “We have worked constructively in the Brics and the SCO framework. Our cooperation in the G20 has also been evident,” he said.
India is “strongly committed to a multipolar world, including a multipolar Asia”, he said. “Where India is concerned, its foreign policy has been principled and consistent, marked by independent thought and action. We are against unilateral approaches to establish dominance. India does not view its relationships through the prism of other nations,” he added.
According to the Indian readout, Wang concurred with Jaishankar that India-China relations have “particular salience” in world politics and noted that the leaders of the two sides had agreed on the way forward at their meeting in Kazan.
The Chinese foreign ministry’s statement quoted Wang as saying that the “restart of China-India relations” is in line with the expectations of the Global South, and that the two sides should “respect each other’s core interests, enhance mutual trust through dialogue and communication, and properly handle differences with sincerity and good faith”.