‘Notable developments’ in India-China ties, says Jaishankar   -OxBig News Network

There have been “notable developments” in the India-China relationship since November 2024, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said while meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday.

In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Jaishankar and Wang Yi reviewed multiple issues, including management of peace and tranquillity along border areas, Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, cross-border rivers and trade facilitation. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes, Jaiswal said.

Jaishankar’s remarks were put out by the Ministry of External Affairs on its website. The Minister told Wang Yi “since our last meeting in Rio (Brazil) during the G20 Summit in November 2024, there have been some notable developments. Our National Security Adviser and Foreign Secretary have (separately) visited China and there have been discussions about various aspects of our relationship”.

Jaishankar was referring to the NSA Ajit Doval’s visit to Beijing. Doval as Special Representative on the “India China boundary question” had met Wang Yi and discussed border issues.

Today Jaishankar mentioned these issues as “management of peace and tranquillity in the border areas”.

In December last year, Doval and Wang Yi at a meeting had agreed to “inject vitality” into the process of settling the long-pending boundary dispute between the two countries and agreed on maintaining “peace and tranquillity” in the border areas to promote bilateral relations.

Resumption of SR-level talks was agreed upon when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the 16^th BRICS summit at Kazan in Russia in October last year. The Special Representatives have been tasked to “meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquillity in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question”.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar said on Friday that India and China are members of the G20, SCO and BRICS. There are also regional and global issues of mutual interest, where an exchange of perspectives will be to our mutual benefit, he said.

“We should also recognise that in a polarised global situation, our two countries have worked hard to preserve and protect the G20 as an institution. This in itself testifies to the importance of international cooperation,” Jaishankar added.