RIO DE JANEIRO: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, have held talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit and discussed the border dispute and ways to improve bilateral relations.
During a meeting in Rio De Janeiro Wang Yi, said that the successful meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 16th BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan was in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples, the expectations of Global South countries and the right direction of history, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Wang Yi who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee stressed that China and India should implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, respect each other’s core interests and enhance mutual trust through dialogue and communication.
He emphasised handling differences between the two countries properly with sincerity and integrity, and bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.
Wang Yi added that the sides should send more positive signals and engage in actions that facilitate bilateral exchange and, enhance mutual trust.
He said China and India, as two neighbouring developing countries, have more common interests than differences. The foreign minister said both China and India adhere to a non-aligned foreign policy and multilateralism.
Xinhua reported that Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in his remarks said during the BRICS Summit in Kazan, leaders of both countries reached a consensus on promoting the stable development of India-China relations and expressed satisfaction with the progress made to implement the leaders’ consensus.
Jaishankar during the meeting underscored the importance of China and Pakistan in the international fora, the ANI reported.
He said that consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries to develop bilateral ties would help to ease the tense standoff in Ladakh and set the stage for further diplomatic engagements.
Jaishankar noted that he is looking forward to discussing the next steps with Wang Yi as envisaged by both leaders.
“We noted the progress in the recent disengagement in the India-China border areas. And exchanged views on the next steps in our bilateral ties. Also discussed the global situation,” Jaishankar said on X.
On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio, met CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi of China.
We noted the progress in the recent disengagement in the India-China border areas. And exchanged views on the next steps in our bilateral ties.
Also discussed the global situation. pic.twitter.com/fZDwHlkDQt
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 19, 2024
Since May 2020, the two Asian countries had been engaged in a tussle along the 3,500-kilometer Line of Actual Control the de facto border in the Ladakh area.
At least 24 soldiers, 20 from India and four from China, were killed in clashes. That led to a tense and long-running standoff that has seen both sides deploy thousands of military personnel and heavy weapons in the region, Anadolu news agency reported.
In October 2024, both India and China confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the two nations regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.
