SCO Meet 2023: 'India-China border stable, both sides should…': Chinese FM to S Jaishankar
3 min read . Updated: 05 May 2023, 07:49 AM IST
PremiumIndia-China border stable, both sides should push for its further cooling, easing; Chinese FM Qin to Jaishankar
On the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke about the situation at the India-China border. The foreign reiterated that the situation at the border is generally stable and both sides should consolidate the present achievements and strictly abide by the relevant agreements while pushing for further cooling and easing of the conditions for sustainable peace and tranquillity at the frontier.
While talking to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Benaulim in Goa, Qin restated China’s oft-repeated recent stance that the current situation on the China-India border is generally stable, in an apparent reference to the ongoing military standoff in Eastern Ladakh which brought the relations to standstill.
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Qin said the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas, a press release on Qin-Jaishankar talks issued on Friday said.
In a tweet after the talks, Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.
Jaishankar said the discussions were also held on issues relating to the SCO, G20 and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa). Qin also maintained that China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernisation.
He said we should draw lessons from history, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, respect, learn from and make achievements from each other, and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development and common rejuvenation among major neighbours, so as to lend impetus to national rejuvenation and inject stability and positive energy into world peace and development China is ready to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and stable development.
Qin Gang said China supports India in hosting a successful SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating chair, will play a positive role for the success of the summit in the spirit of unity and coordination. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, the press release added.
China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, said China will persist in promoting peace talks for the Ukraine crisis, and is "willing to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to make tangible contributions to the political settlement of the crisis".
Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements "eroded" the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts. The meeting on April 27 took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers.
To resolve the three-year-old military standoff, India and China held the 18th round of Corps Commander Level talks on Sunday at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point in the Eastern Ladakh sector.
Both India and China have withdrawn troops from some areas on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley, but continue to maintain extra troops as part of a multitier deployment.
A Line of Actual Control separates Chinese and Indian-held territories from Ladakh in the west to India’s eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims in its entirety. India and China fought a war over their border in 1962.
Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu is visiting New Delhi to attend a meeting of the defense chiefs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday. The group consists of China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Krgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
(With inputs from agencies)