India is working to improve its relationship with China following troop disengagement along their border, according to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Discussions include resuming pilgrimages to Chinese-controlled religious sites, establishing direct flights, and exchanging journalists. The countries are also addressing issues related to shared rivers, which had faced disruptions since 2020 due to tensions after border clashes in Galwan Valley. Jaishankar noted recent high-level meetings between Indian and Chinese leaders and indicated progress has been made towards resolving outstanding issues, emphasizing the importance of a more predictable and positive bilateral relationship.
London:
After addressing the pressing matter of troop disengagement at the border, India is engaging in discussions with China to steer their relationship towards a more stable and constructive direction, as stated by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.
Topics under consideration include the resumption of pilgrimages to religious sites within China’s jurisdiction, the establishment of direct flights between the nations, and the exchange of journalists, he mentioned on Wednesday during a dialogue about India’s emergence and global role at Chatham House, a British think-tank.
The two nations are also exploring solutions to other issues, such as shared river management, according to EAM Jaishankar.
The mechanism established for managing trans-border rivers has not convened due to the disruption in relations that occurred post-2020.
“We are evaluating this package (and) the individuals assigned to that task are in communication with each other,” he stated.
“It’s quite challenging, you know,” he remarked.
“Naturally, we hope to see progress sooner rather than later. Then we will observe the outcomes.”
The relationship between these two major neighbors deteriorated due to China’s actions along the Line of Actual Control in 2020, EAM Jaishankar explained.
Chinese forces engaged Indian troops in the Galwan Valley, resulting in the deaths of approximately 20 Indian soldiers and several Chinese personnel during the confrontations, which led to a tense standoff and intermittent skirmishes.
These incidents marked the first fatalities in border confrontations in 45 years, and last year, both nations initiated steps to mend their relationship.
“In October 2024, we managed to settle many urgent matters, including those related to what we refer to as the disengagement of forward-deployed troops,” EAM Jaishankar noted.
Following this resolution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping convened in Kazan, Russia, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit last year, and he met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi last month in South Africa during a BRICS meeting, according to EAM Jaishankar.
India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri have made visits to China, he added.
On October 21 of last year, Foreign Secretary Misri announced in Delhi that an agreement had been established between India and China after extensive negotiations over several weeks, which would address the issues that arose in 2020.
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