BEIJING, July 14: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday conveyed to Chinese Vice President Han Zheng that continued normalisation of India-China ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes and an open exchange of views between the two sides is “very important” considering the “complex” global scenario.
The external affairs minister held talks with Zheng shortly after landing in the Chinese capital from Singapore in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip.
Jaishankar is visiting China to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese city of Tianjin.
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It is Jaishankar’s first visit to China after the ties between the two countries came under severe strain following the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
“Our bilateral relationship, as you have pointed, has been steadily improving since the meeting between Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October,” Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks in the meeting.
“I am confident that my discussions in this visit will maintain that positive trajectory,” he said.
In the last few months, India and China have initiated a number of measures to repair the bilateral ties that had severely nosedived following the deadly clashes between the two militaries in June 2020.
The external affairs minister also referred to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of India-China diplomatic relations.
“The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is also widely appreciated in India. Continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes,” he said.
“The international situation, as we meet today, is very complex. As neighbouring nations and major economies, an open exchange of views and perspectives between India and China is very important,” Jaishankar added.
“I look forward to such discussions during this visit.”
In a social media post, Jaishankar said he conveyed to Vice President Han India’s support for China’s SCO presidency.
“Noted the improvement in our bilateral ties. And expressed confidence that discussions during my visit will maintain that positive trajectory,” he said.
Jaishankar’s visit is taking place less than three weeks after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to the Chinese port city of Qingdao to participate in the SCO defence ministers’ conference.
China is the current chair of the SCO and it is hosting the meetings of the grouping in that capacity.
In his meeting with Jaishankar, Han said that President Xi had a successful meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Kazan last October, leading China-India relations to a new starting point.
Noting that China and India are both major developing countries and important members of the Global South, Han said it is the right choice for both sides to be partners contributing to each other’s success.
Han called on both sides to further implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, adhere to the high-level guidance, steadily advance pragmatic cooperation, respect each other’s concerns, and promote the sustained, healthy, and stable development of China-India relations, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The military standoff in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.
The face-off effectively ended following the completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21 last year.
The decision to revive various dialogue mechanisms was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024.
The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok. (PTI)
