India pushed China for an early and complete disengagement of troops in the remaining areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh, as foreign minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Friday, saying normalisation of the border situation is necessary for normalisation of ties.
India and China agreed that restoring peace in border areas is in the common interest of both the countries. However, differences remained as Jaishankar conveyed to Wang India’s national sentiment that friction arising from China’s deployments since April 2020 cannot be reconciled with a normal relationship and Wang called for a “long-term view” saying India and China, as “mature” countries, should allow border issues to have an impact on the overall development of ties.
While there was no breakthrough or any big announcement, Wang’s outreach in the form of his visit was perceived as significant and the meetings with Doval and Jaishankar were described as cordial, open and candid. Wang said China was looking forward to PM Narendra Modi’s participation in the BRICS summit to be held later this year and invited Doval to China for carrying forward the mandate of the Special Representatives on India-China boundary question. Doval responded positively and said he could visit China as soon as the “immediate issues” are resolved.
