External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for the second time in a month on Thursday. The minister emphasised the need for ‘full respect’ for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and past agreements to rebuild the ties between the two nations.
Jaishankar and Wang Yi met in Laos, where the ministers were attending the meetings of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). "Met with Communist Party of China Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Vientiane today. Continued our ongoing discussions about our bilateral relationship. The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties," said Jaishankar in a post on X after meeting Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings.
India has maintained that its ties with China cannot be normal without peace in the border areas. The ongoing border row in eastern Ladakh entered its fifth year in May.
"Our ability to ensure that they are stable and forward looking is essential both for the prospects of Asia and that of the multipolar world," said Jaishankar as per a statement by the MEA. "There are also issues on which our interests converge. In our previous meeting we had both agreed in this regard. The challenge has been to proceed in that direction," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar said that the “disturbance to peace and tranquillity in our border areas” has cast a shadow on the India-China ties in the past four years. Both sides have made considerable efforts to resolve the issue, he acknowledged.
"I hope that today’s meeting will allow us to give stronger guidance to our officials in that regard," he told Wang. "Insofar as our bilateral ties are concerned, we also agreed that they are best handled through the approach of three mutuals - mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. You will also appreciate that the state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties," Jaishankar added in his opening remarks.
The MEA stated that the meeting between the two ministers provided an opportunity to review the situation since their last meeting in Astana on July 4. Both sides agreed to hold an early meeting of the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) to continue discussions.
The Chinese foreign ministry stated that China and India, as major developing countries and emerging economies, should strengthen dialogue and communication amid the current complex international situation and global challenges. It emphasised the importance of enhancing understanding and mutual trust, handling contradictions and differences properly, and developing mutually beneficial cooperation. The Chinese foreign minister highlighted the responsibility both nations have towards history, their people, and the world, urging them to transcend contradictions and promote stable and sustainable development of China-India relations.
Jaishankar last met Wang Yi during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on July 4 in the Kazakh capital city of Astana.