Seeking to strike a balance with China, Indian Foreign Secretary visits Beijing

According to External Affairs Minister S Jaishanka, the momentum for India-China relations has never been easy. (Source: Xinhua)

According to a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, “the resumption of this bilateral mechanism follows an agreement at the leadership level to discuss the next steps in India-China relations, including political, economic and people-to-people exchanges.”

This is the second visit by a senior Indian official to China in less than a month and a half.

Last month, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval visited Beijing and held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Special Representative (SR) dialogue on border disputes.

The decision to revive the SR mechanism and other similar formats was taken at the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia on October 23, 2024.

During the meeting that lasted nearly 50 minutes, Mr. Modi stressed the importance of properly resolving differences and disputes, without disturbing peace and tranquility in the border areas.

The meeting between the two leaders comes just two days after India and China agreed on a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.

During the SR dialogue, India pushed for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the common border dispute between the two countries.

National Security Adviser Doval and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also focused on “positive” directions for cross-border cooperation, including resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, sharing river data and border trade.

Last week, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the two countries were trying to move beyond the complexities arising from the border situation after 2020 and needed to think more about the long-term development of the relationship.

“At a time when most other relationships are evolving, India faces a unique challenge in striking a balance with China. Much of that arises from the fact that both countries are on the rise,” he said.

The head of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs noted that, as close neighbors, the only two countries in the world with a population of more than 1 billion, the dynamics of India-China relations have never been easy.

Even more, the relationship “has become more acrimonious due to border disputes, some historical baggage and different socio-political systems”. The “misunderstanding” of “past policy makers”, according to Mr. S Jaishankar, “has not really helped in cooperation or competition” with the world’s second-largest economy.

And “that has clearly changed over the past decade. Right now, the relationship is trying to move beyond the complications that have arisen from the post-2020 border situation,” he asserted.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tim-cach-thiet-lap-su-can-bang-voi-trung-quoc-bi-thu-doi-ngoai-an-do-tham-bac-kinh-302078.html