The India-China relationship has been steadily improving since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan in October 2024, according to External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Monday.
“We must approach our bilateral relationship with a forward-looking perspective. The relationship between India and China has been steadily improving since our leaders met in Kazan in October 2024. In his opening remarks during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, EAM Jaishankar stated, “It is our duty to keep that momentum going.”
“The normalization of our bilateral relations has advanced well during the last nine months. It is the outcome of our ability to keep the peace and tranquility along the border and the settlement of tensions along it. This is the cornerstone of mutual strategic trust and the healthy growth of bilateral ties. De-escalation and other border-related issues are now our responsibility,” he continued.
The EAM is in China for the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin, his first trip there since the bloody clash in the Galwan Valley in May 2020.
EAM Jaishankar congratulated the Chinese side on a successful Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Presidency, pointing out that the two sides have recently had several chances to meet at international gatherings and engage in strategic communication.
He stated, “We will be meeting tomorrow and India is committed to ensuring good outcomes and decisions,” with the hope that more frequent bilateral meetings will be held in each other’s nations.
The External Affairs Minister also expressed gratitude to China for its assistance in bringing the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra back to life after a five-year hiatus.
“There are many different aspects and dimensions of our relationships as neighboring countries and significant economies in the modern world. Normalizing our people-to-people interactions can undoubtedly promote cooperative efforts that benefit both parties. Preventing trade restrictions and obstacles is equally crucial in this situation. “I hope to go into more detail about these issues,” Jaishankar stated.
The EAM highlighted that both nations are commemorating the 75th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations and stated that the world benefits from stable and positive relations between China and India.
“Managing relationships based on mutual respect, interest, and sensitivity is the best way to do this. Additionally, we previously decided that disagreements should never turn into arguments or rivalries into confrontations. We can now build our relationships on this basis in a constructive manner,” he said.
Prior to starting talks in the SCO format on Tuesday, the parties will be discussing regional and global concerns during Monday’s meeting.
“Combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism” is the SCO’s main mandate, the EAM said, looking forward to a “constructive and forward-looking exchange” of opinions.
“This is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance for terrorism will be strongly upheld,” EAM Jaishankar said.
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