Border Peace Prerequisite for Normal India-China Ties, Jaishankar Tells Wang Yi in Manila

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila, reiterating that border peace is a prerequisite for normal ties. Jaishankar urged mutual respect while raising key concerns regarding trade imbalance, market access, and supply chain predictability

New Delhi: Peace and tranquillity in the border areas is a “pre-requisite” for normal relations between India and China and the ties must be anchored in mutual respect, interest, and sensitivity, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a meeting in Manila on Wednesday.

In the talks, Jaishankar also flagged New Delhi’s concerns over issues relating to market access, trade imbalance and uncertainties over supply chains.

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The two ministers are in the Philippine capital to participate in high-level discussions under the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In the last few months, New Delhi and Beijing unveiled a series of measures to normalise their ties that came under severe strain during the over four-year eastern Ladakh border standoff.

“We believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks at the meeting.

“Such a relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world.”

The external affairs minister also underlined the importance of maintenance of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

“Peace and tranquillity in the border areas is obviously the pre-requisite for normal ties. Since October 2024, both sides have engaged to ensure that important objective,” he said.

“This will continue to need our constant attention. Relevant mechanisms in this domain must be given full support and strong encouragement,” he added.

Jaishankar also emphasised that the differences between the two sides should not become disputes

“It is natural that as two large and important nations, and that too proximate neighbours, India and China would have their own particular interests,” he said.

“That is why our leaders had agreed that differences should not become disputes. It is the responsibility of diplomacy to properly manage them,” he added.

The external affairs minister also voiced India’s concerns relating to bilateral trade and supply chains, saying these important dimensions of the ties need to be addressed.

“Fair market access and a trade balance ranks high in that regard. There are also concerns about predictability of supply chains. Facilitating both official and people-to-people exchanges merit our attention,” he said.

“We also need to agree on the meetings of various mechanisms and platforms as per our mutual priorities,” he added.

Following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides withdrew their troops from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

In October 2024, the two sides firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.

Days after the agreement was finalised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan and took a number of decisions to improve the ties.

In August last year, PM Modi travelled to the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the annual SCO summit. Modi and Xi held extensive talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit. In the meeting, Modi said India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.

In the last few months, India and China initiated a series of measures to reset their ties.