Sandeep Dixit
New Delhi, 7 July
Another attempt to revive India-China ties ended in an apparent impasse as no new way of resolving the border standoff or re-entry of Indian students came during an hour-long meeting between Foreign Ministers S Jaishankar and Wang Yi. Steps were not taken. The Chinese did not respond. At the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday.
“My day in Bali started with FM Wang Yi from China. The discussion lasted for an hour. Focused on specific outstanding issues in our bilateral relations relating to the border situation. Also talked about other matters including students and flights. Jaishankar had tweeted after the meeting.
“The minister called for early resolution of all outstanding issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh,” a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The Ministry of External Affairs said Jaishankar also recalled his meeting with Wang Yi in Delhi in March and reviewed the progress of the students’ return. “The External Affairs Minister emphasized on expediting the process and facilitating early return of the students,” the statement said.
“They reaffirmed the importance of fully adhering to bilateral agreements and protocols, and understood this during their previous talks between the two ministers.
In this regard, the two Ministers reaffirmed that military and diplomatic officials from both sides should maintain regular contact and look forward to the next round of Senior Commanders’ Meeting at the earliest.
“The China-India border area is generally stable at the moment. Both sides have the desire and ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the China-India border areas,” said the Chinese MFA.
Jaishankar also reiterated that India-China relations are best handled with mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests. Jaishankar had last mentioned ‘three mutuals’ in January.
India and China had agreed on a five-point approach after talks between their foreign ministers in September 2020.