BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that Beijing and New Delhi should work towards mutual trust and “win-win” cooperation, after talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, state news agency Xinhua reported.
China and India should “adhere to the direction of good-neighbourliness and friendship” and “find a way for mutual respect and trust, peaceful coexistence, common development and win-win cooperation”, Wang said, according to Xinhua.
The two foreign ministers met in Beijing on Monday as the two rivals seek to repair ties following a 2020 clash on their border.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Wang Yi in Beijing during his first trip to the country since 2020, when a deadly border clash between their troops led to a four-year military standoff and damaged ties.
The Indian foreign minister said that New Delhi and Beijing must resolve friction along their border, pull back troops and avoid “restrictive trade measures” to normalise their relationship, Reuters news agency reported.
“Good progress” made by the countries in the past nine months for normalisation of relations is a result of the resolution of friction along their border, Jaishankar told Wang.
“It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation,” Jaishankar said, adding that it was also critical that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks be avoided to foster mutually beneficial cooperation.
Last month, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that the two countries should seek a “permanent solution” to the border dispute, seen as a new push by New Delhi for a conclusive outcome.
The world’s two most populous nations are intense rivals and their 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) frontier has been a perennial source of tension.
The 2020 clash between their troops led to a four-year military standoff they agreed in October on patrols in disputed areas.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping met for the first time in five years later that month, agreeing to work on improving relations. – Agencies
