India-China: Keeping the ongoing border tensions aside, India and China Monday decided to bring their bilateral ties back on track by resuming direct flights between New Delhi and Beijing, enhancement of visas, resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and more media exchanges.
Discussing the “next steps” between India and China, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister and Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Political Bureau Wang Yi decided to take “next steps” in bilateral ties that got strained due to the military standoff that began in the eastern Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in April 2020.
“The Ministers recognized that the disengagement in our border areas had contributed to the maintenance of peace and tranquility. The discussions focused on the next steps in India-China relations. It was agreed that a meeting of the Special Representatives and of the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister mechanism will take place soon,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement Tuesday.
Jaishankar and Wang Yi met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first meeting between both ministers since the patrolling arrangement between both sides were arrived at on 21 October, 2024
The statement added, “Among the steps discussed were the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, data sharing on trans-border rivers, direct flights between India and China and media exchanges.”
Indian pilgrims were barred from using the official routes for the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage, which the Chinese government closed in 2020 ostensibly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
ALSO READ | India, China Working Towards Normalcy… Too Many Troops Deployed At Border ‘Not Good’, Says Chinese Official
The MEA also said, “On the global situation and international issues, EAM noted that India and China have both differences and convergences. We have worked constructively in the BRICS and the SCO framework. Our cooperation in the G20 has also been evident.”
“FM Wang Yi concurred with EAM that India-China relations have particular salience in world politics. He noted that our leaders had agreed in Kazan on the way forward. The two Ministers felt that it was imperative that the focus should be on stabilizing ties, managing differences and taking the next steps,” said MEA.
The decision to reset the strained bilateral ties after a gap of five years was taken during the formal talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met for the first time for official-level discussions on October 24 – their first since 2019 – in Kazan, Russia on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
‘A New Starting Point’
Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also issued a readout where Beijing also said there should be “practical progress” between both countries such as having direct flights, facilitation of visas and exchange of journalists.
Addressing a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “China-India relations are now at a new starting point. This serves the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries, meets the expectations of Global South countries and is in line with the trend of history.”
ALSO READ | India, China Working Towards Normalcy… Too Many Troops Deployed At Border ‘Not Good’, Says Chinese Official
“Next year is the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. The two sides should plan commemorative activities, encourage exchanges and visits in all fields and at all levels, and enhance understanding and mutual trust,” said the Chinese foreign ministry readout.
During the meeting Wang Yi said “as two neighboring developing countries, China and India have far more common interests than differences.”
“India hopes to restart the relevant dialogue mechanism as soon as possible and maintain the momentum of improvement and development of bilateral relations through enhanced communication. The consensus between India and China far outweighs the differences,” siad Beijing.
The statement also said, “The two sides should view bilateral relations from a strategic perspective, properly handle relevant issues with a more positive attitude, and not let specific differences define the relationship between the two countries.”
ALSO READ | Opinion: 3 ‘Mutual’ From India, 1 ‘Mutual’ From China. Final India-China Border Settlement Still A Far Cry