External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has called for de-escalation of border issues and fair trade practices between India and China, while also acknowledging the progress made in normalizing bilateral relations. During his visit to China, Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity in the relationship.
Jaishankar highlighted the "good progress" made in the past nine months in normalizing relations, attributing it to the resolution of friction along the border and the maintenance of peace and tranquility. He stressed that this progress forms the basis for mutual strategic trust and the smooth development of bilateral ties. However, he also stated that it is now incumbent upon both sides to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation. He pointed out that the next step after disengagement, achieved nine months ago, has not yet been followed up by the withdrawal of troops. Currently, both sides maintain a significant troop presence of around 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern Ladakh region.
In his discussions with Chinese counterparts, Jaishankar reiterated India's position that the relationship should be based on mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity. He emphasized that differences should not become disputes, nor should competition turn into conflict. He also called for "normalizing" people-to-people ties and avoiding "restrictive trade measures and roadblocks," a reference to Chinese export restrictions on critical minerals. He noted that measures toward normalizing people-to-people exchanges could foster mutually beneficial cooperation.
Jaishankar conveyed that continued normalization of ties could lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. He referred to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan in October of last year, expressing confidence that ongoing discussions would maintain a positive trajectory, building upon that meeting. Chinese state media reported that Han Zheng referred to the Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan as a "new starting point" for ties, and called for India and China to be partners as they are "major developing economies and important members of the Global South". Jaishankar stated that since the leaders' meeting, the India-China relationship has been gradually moving in a positive direction, and it is the responsibility of both sides to maintain that momentum.
Furthermore, Jaishankar stressed the need for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to address the issue of terrorism with "zero tolerance". He 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 also appreciated the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a gap of five years, thanking the Chinese side for their cooperation on this matter. He noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also stated that stable and constructive ties between India and China are not only beneficial to each other but to the world as a whole.
