New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the need for “stabilization and progress” in India-China relations, which have come under strain after border clashes in 2020, during a meeting with Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong this week.
This was the minister's first meeting with Xu, who arrived in New Delhi last month. “Received Ambassador of China Xu Feihong this evening. Discussed our bilateral relationship and our common interest in its stabilization and progress,” Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.
Jaishankar has maintained that the overall relationship with China cannot be normalized without peace and tranquillity on the border. The face-off in the Ladakh sector of the LAC has taken bilateral ties to a six-decade low. On the other hand, China has contended that the border issue should be put in its “appropriate place” in the overall relationship while the two sides move forward in areas such as trade and investment.
Xu, in a separate post on X, said he and Jaishankar had exchanged views on bilateral relations and “other issues of common interest”. Without any reference to the standoff on the LAC, Xu added: “Look forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the right direction.”
Despite more than two dozen rounds of diplomatic and military talks since 2020, India and China have been unable to resolve several “friction points” on the LAC, including Depsang and Demchok. Both sides have arrayed more than 50,000 troops each in the Ladakh sector.
