China ready for mutually acceptable solution to urgent border issues

Earlier in the day, the Chinese minister said that India-China relations remained at a "low point"

With India firmly conveying to China that the prolongation of the existing situation in eastern Ladakh was visibly impacting the bilateral ties in a "negative manner", Beijing on Thursday said it is ready to seek a "mutually acceptable solution" to the issues that require "urgent treatment" through negotiation.

During their hour-long in-person meeting on the sidelines of an SCO conclave in Dushanbe on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also told his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was "not acceptable" to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh.

The meeting in Tajikistan's capital took place amidst a stalemate in the disengagement process between the two militaries in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh after they withdrew troops and weapons from the Pangong Lake areas in February following series of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the standoff since May last year.

In a statement posted on its website on Thursday on Wang's talks with Jaishankar, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, the minister stated that India-China relations remained at a “low point” while the situation at the border has “generally been easing” after the withdrawal of troops from the Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake.

While reiterating China's stand that it was not responsible for the border situation, Wang said that “China is ready to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the issues that require urgent treatment through negotiation and consultation with the Indian side.” 

While China moved its troops from Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, the disengagement has not been completed from other friction points like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang.