Jaishankar meets China's foreign minister Wang Yi, looks to strengthen ties

Jaishakar is on a three-day visit to Beijing for attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting on July 14 and 15

Meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that the bilateral relationship between India and China is on a positive track.

 

Jaishakar is on a visit to Beijing to attend the SCO summit from July 14 to 15. He said that he looks forward to maintaining strong ties in the longer term. This is Jaishankar's first visit to China after the relationship between the two countries soured in 2020 due to a military standoff in Galwan valley. 

 

 

According to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaishankar said, "Since our leaders’ meeting in Kazan in October 2024, the India-China relationship has been moving in a positive direction." "Our bilateral relationship requires that we take a far-seeing approach to our ties," he added.

Strengthening ties

Referring to the de-escalation of tensions that began in 2020, Jaishankar said, "We have made good progress in the past nine months for the normalisation of our relations...our responsibility is to maintain that momentum."

 

The EAM also appreciated the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after five years. He thanked the Chinese side for their cooperation.

India-China ties to benefit the world

Jaishankar said that a stable relationship between India and China will not only benefit the two nations but the entire world. "We have earlier agreed that differences should not become disputes, nor should competition ever become conflict," said Jaishankar.

 

"As neighbouring nations and major economies in the world today, there are various facets and dimensions of our ties. It is essential that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks are avoided," he added.

Crackdown on terrorism

Jaishankar said that he will be meeting in the format of the SCO tomorrow, whose primary mandate is to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism. "Terrorism is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance will be strongly upheld," said Jaishankar.