China and India pledge to boost border peace efforts as Wang Yi urges 'rational approach'
At their second meeting this month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed to make "concerted efforts" to keep the peace along their disputed border and improve communication.
The ministers spoke on Thursday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers' meeting in Vientiane, Laos, just three weeks after talks at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, where a reconciliatory tone was established.
Without mentioning the Himalayan border, which saw military clashes in May 2020 followed by deteriorating ties, Wang urged India and China to "take a rational approach to rise above differences and frictions".
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"It is hoped that the two sides will work together to actively explore the right way for the two big neighbours to get along with each other and guide all communities to develop positive perceptions of each other," Wang said, according to a statement from his ministry.
He added that putting bilateral relations back on the right track would serve the interests of both sides and meet the shared aspirations of countries in the Global South, reinforcing the stance he took at the dialogue in Kazakhstan, where both leaders agreed that prolonging border disagreements was not in the interest of either side.
Since the deadly clashes four years ago, Beijing and New Delhi have carried out several rounds of military talks and have disengaged from four points along the border. But both sides have steadily built up military capabilities in the region.
"The two sides agreed to make concerted efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas and work for new progress in consultations on border affairs," the Chinese ministry statement said, adding that they were ready to strengthen communication through platforms such as the East Asia Summit, the Group of 20 (G20), Brics and the SCO.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrives to attend the 57th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday. Photo: AFP alt=Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar arrives to attend the 57th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday. Photo: AFP>
Jaishankar also maintained a forward-looking stance, while acknowledging that the border conflicts had cast a "shadow" over the two countries' "broad converging interests".
"But the Indian side is ready to take a historic, strategic and open perspective to find solutions to the differences and get the bilateral relations back to a positive and constructive track," he said, according to the Chinese statement.
"Maintaining stable and predictable development of the bilateral relations is entirely in the interests of the two sides, and holds special significance to upholding regional peace and promoting multipolarity."
On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Jaishankar said the two countries "agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process" and "must ensure full respect for the [Line of Actual Control] and past agreements".
The Line of Actual Control refers to the 3,200km (1,988-mile) disputed border that separates Chinese-controlled and Indian-controlled territories.
"It is in our mutual interest to stabilise our ties. We should approach the immediate issues with a sense of purpose and urgency," Jaishankar wrote.
In May, Beijing sent ambassador Xu Feihong to fill an 18-month vacancy at the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, in a show of willingness to manage differences and improve ties.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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