India, China Shouldn't Allow Border Dispute to Define Ties, Says Wang Yi

India and China, as important members of the Global South, have the responsibility to take the lead in "opposing hegemonism and power politics", Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

- Rezaul H Laskar

Amid intense churn caused by the unpredictable economic and geopolitical policies of the Donald Trump administration in the US, Wang added: "We must not only safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of our countries, but also uphold the basic norms governing international relations".

"When China and India join hands, the prospects for greater democracy in international relations and a stronger Global South will improve greatly." Wang also said that India and China shouldn't allow their boundary dispute to define bilateral ties or let specific differences affect the overall relationship, amid efforts by the two sides to normalise relations after ending a prolonged faceoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Wang, who has met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in recent weeks to take forward the process of normalising relations, made the remarks while addressing a news conference on the margins of the 14th National People's Congress, the highest state body in China.

While speaking on China's foreign policy and external relations, Wang suggested a "cooperative pas de deux" - the French term for a dance for two people as the "only right choice" for India and China.