Wang lands in India for crucial talks ahead of PM’s SCO trip
New Delhi, Aug 18: The India-China relations must be guided by mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday conveyed this to his visiting Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
Jaishankar held talks with Wang shortly after the Chinese foreign minister landed in Delhi on a two-day visit.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, the external affairs minister also underlined that differences between the two countries should not become disputes.
“This occasion provides us an opportunity to meet and review our bilateral ties. It is also an appropriate time to exchange views on the global situation and some issues of mutual interest,” Jaishankar said.
“Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, Excellency, our two nations now seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides.
“In that endeavour, we must be guided by the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest. Differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict,” he said.
The Chinese foreign minister is visiting India primarily to hold the next round of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question. Wang and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval are the designated special representatives for the boundary talks.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in India on Monday for a two-day visit to engage in critical border discussions with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The talks, part of the Special Representatives’ dialogue on the boundary issue, come just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Wang was welcomed at Delhi airport by Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs’ East Asia division.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began his two-day visit to India on Monday to hold border talks with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.
On Tuesday, the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ (SR) talks will be held in which National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang will be present.
Following the SR talks, the Chinese Foreign Minister will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Chinese foreign minister is visiting India primarily to hold the next round of SR dialogue on the boundary question. Wang and Doval are the designated special representatives for the boundary talks.
The Chinese foreign minister’s visit is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.
The two sides are expected to discuss new confidence-building measures for durable peace and tranquillity along their contested border during Wang’s visit, people familiar with the matter said.
The Chinese foreign minister’s trip is also seen as important as it comes amid increasing tensions in India-US relations following President Donald Trump doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent that included an additional penalty of 25 per cent for purchasing Russian crude oil.
Wang and NSA Doval are scheduled to hold a new edition of SR dialogue on the boundary question at 11 am on Tuesday.
According to the MEA, Wang will call on PM Modi at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence at 5:30 pm on Tuesday.
The upcoming meeting comes at a time when border tensions between India and China have eased significantly since the BRICS Summit in Russia’s Kazan last year.
In Beijing, China announced that Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s two-day visit to India aims to advance key agreements made by the leaders of both nations and build on prior border discussions.
Wang will engage in the 24th round of Special Representatives talks with India’s NSA Ajit Doval, following their December meeting in China. This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping agreed to revive dialogue mechanisms during their October meeting in Kazan at the BRICS summit.
China seeks to strengthen political trust, boost cooperation, manage differences, and foster stable China-India relations, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
“China hopes to work with India to deliver on the important common understandings reached between the leaders, maintain high-level exchanges, enhance political trust, promote practical cooperation, properly handle differences, and promote the sustained, sound and steady development of China-India relations,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
The SR-level talks on the India-China Boundary Question are a high-level channel for the two countries’ boundary negotiations, Mao said, commenting on Wang’s visit at a media briefing here on Monday.
During the 23rd round of talks in Beijing, the two sides reached several common understandings on delimitation, negotiation, border management mechanism, cross-border exchanges and cooperation, she said.
Since the beginning of this year, the two sides have maintained communication through diplomatic channels and actively advanced the implementation of those outcomes, she said.
For the upcoming round of talks, China stands ready to continue an in-depth communication with India on the above-mentioned issues on the basis of the existing common understandings and with a positive and constructive attitude, and together maintain sustained peace and tranquility in the border areas, she said.
To a question on the progress made on the boundary negotiations and how China see the prospects of a settlement, Mao said the SR-level talks are a constructive and positive mechanism for both sides on the border issue.
The 23rd round of talks saw many important consensuses and the two sides are implementing the series of consensus, she said.
China looks forward to working with India, firstly to follow up on what has been agreed and, on that basis, will continue communication to maintain stability and tranquility across the border region, she said.
