Key points
- India and China aim to rebuild ties after 2020 border clash
- China urges viewing each other as partners, not rivals
- Wang’s visit comes ahead of Modi’s China trip
ISLAMABAD: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday discussed border peace, trade issues and bilateral exchanges, aiming to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
Welcomed Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Delhi this evening.
Highlighted that our relations are best guided by the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest. As we seek to move ahead from a difficult period in our ties, it needs a… pic.twitter.com/xRMYm4Nqpv
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 18, 2025
“We had productive conversations on our economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity and bilateral exchanges,” Jaishankar said, according to Reuters.
He added that the discussions would contribute to building a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China.
Opening remarks at my meeting with FM Wang Yi in New Delhi.
https://t.co/ZbLrgSW9tK— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 18, 2025
The Chinese foreign minister said exchanges and dialogue at all levels between both countries had been gradually restored and bilateral relations were returning to cooperation, according to a Chinese readout.
Wang also urged both sides, as major countries, to set an example for other developing countries to unite and strengthen themselves, according to the statement.
“Correct strategic understanding”
China and India should establish “correct strategic understanding, regard each other as partners and opportunities, not as rivals or threats,” the statement cited Wang as saying.
Wang arrived in the Indian capital on Monday for a two-day visit during which he will hold the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Welcome to FM Mr. Wang Yi of China as he arrives in New Delhi on an official visit.
Important engagements of the India-China Special Representatives and on bilateral relations over the next two days.
🇮🇳 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/Kc6Bjr19F9
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) August 18, 2025
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar had said that discussing border issues was very important because the basis for any positive momentum in India-China ties was the ability to jointly maintain peace in border areas.
“Candid and constructive approach”
“Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, our two nations now seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides,” Jaishankar told Wang in his opening remarks.
It is also important for the two countries to pull back their troops amassed along their disputed border in the western Himalayas since a deadly border clash in 2020, Jaishankar said.
Wang’s visit comes days before Modi travels to China – his first visit in seven years – to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional political and security group that also includes Russia.
China welcomes 🇮🇳Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit.#SCO
Full text:https://t.co/kyc4CjDIRG pic.twitter.com/p2KEleWuB3— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) August 8, 2025
Relations between the two countries began to thaw in October after New Delhi and Beijing reached a milestone pact to lower military tensions on their Himalayan border following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi in Russia.
Trump tariffs
Ties between the two countries deteriorated sharply following a military clash on that border in the summer of 2020 in which 20 soldiers from India and four from China were killed, according to Reuters.
Caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff war, the countries have moved to mend ties, according to Dawn.
Restarting border trade across their icy and high-altitude Himalayan border is expected to feature high on Wang’s agenda. Its resumption would be significant for its symbolism, and follows agreements to return direct flights and issue tourist visas.
