S. Jaishankar has lauded progress on flights, visas, and trade and called for efforts to maintain peace along the border
India has praised the normalization of bilateral ties with China and underlined the importance of maintaining peace between the world’s most populous nations as a vital requirement for a multi-polar world order.
Both countries believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed based on mutual respect, interest and sensitivity, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum Meetings in Manila.
Relations between the two fast-growing major economies plummeted following a 2020 border clash that left 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers dead. Diplomatic engagements and flights between the two countries stopped and India heavily restricted Chinese investments, among other measures.
🇮🇳✌️🇨🇳 EAM Jaishankar Signals India-China Reset Is Gathering Pace
The 🇮🇳 External Affairs Minister met his 🇨🇳 counterpart Wang Yi in Manila, saying relations have been gradually normalising since the Modi-Xi meeting in 2024.
But relations have mostly returned to normal amid the economic pressures created by US President Donald Trump’s tariff wars, with New Delhi recently allowing some Chinese companies to invest in critical sectors of the economy.
Stressing that peace along the border remains a fundamental prerequisite for deeper bilateral cooperation, Jaishankar said, “such a relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world.”
Jaishankar lauded several recent confidence-building measures, including the resumption of direct flights, updates to the visa regime, the restart of the Kailash Manasarovar pilgrimage, and the re-commencement of border trade.
He reiterated that diplomatic efforts should support the understanding reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping that differences should not become disputes. It is diplomacy’s responsibility to manage these situations effectively, he said.
“Fair market access and a trade balance rank high in that regard,” Jaishankar stated, pointing to New Delhi’s concerns on trade and economic issues.
“There are also concerns about the predictability of supply chains. Facilitating both official and people-to-people exchanges merits our attention. We also need to agree on meetings of various mechanisms and platforms as per our mutual priorities.”
