Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday that India and China should ‘blunt suspicion, alienation.’ Misri met Wang a day earlier before meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in a series of diplomatic engagements to ease tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The discussions come after the October 2024 agreement to break down military standoffs that have lasted for more than four years.
In a statement, China’s foreign ministry quoted Wang, who emphasized the need for both sides to meet “halfway,” and to do so based on mutual understanding and mutual support instead of ‘mutual suspicion and alienation.’ Improving relations between India and China, he said, is in both their fundamental interest and the interest of the whole Global South, and in safeguarding these nations’ legitimate rights, cooperation is needed.
It all started with the disengagement of forces at friction points in Demchok and Depsang last October and a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Russia. Since then, the countries have relaunched a number of forums to resolve the dispute over a border that has been an irritant of ties for decades to their lowest level in six decades.
Speaking along with foreign and defence ministers of participating countries at multilateral events, key diplomatic and security discussions occurred in recent months. However, efforts to resolve the border issue were further underscored when National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Beijing in December for the Special Representatives’ dialogue. This marked Doval’s second meeting with Wang Yi, China’s Special Representative, in under five months.
So India is cautious, with questions lingering over China’s requests to ease visa restrictions and relaunch direct flights suspended since 2020. China wants to focus on trade and investment, and India wants to talk about the border.
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