Peace on border & beyond: Jaishankar, Wang Yi hold talks, stress on stability and respect in ties

CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER ON 1ST INDIA VISIT IN 3 YEARS

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

NEW DELHI: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening, marking his first visit to India in three years. His two-day trip began with a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and will include a call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in what is being viewed as a significant step towards resetting strained relations between the two Asian neighbours.

The visit comes days ahead of Prime Minister Modi's scheduled trip to Tianjin, China, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit from August 31 to September 1. The series of high-level exchanges is expected to open avenues for dialogue on issues ranging from border disputes to regional cooperation.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar called for advancing the disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese troops have remained deployed in large numbers since the 2020 standoff.

“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,” the external affairs minister said. He added that any forward movement should be guided by “mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.”