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China, India encountered ‘some setbacks’ in recent years: Wang Yi
Ties between the two countries have dipped to their worst low in decades following a border clash in the Galwan Valley at the Line of Actual Control in June 2020, which left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Monday said differences over the disputed boundary and “recent setbacks” in ties should not impact overall Sino-India relationship but did not give any indication about the way forward to resolve the ongoing border friction in eastern Ladakh.
Wang did not give a timeline for the disengagement of troops on the Chinese side of the LAC.
Ties between the two countries have dipped to their worst low in decades following a border clash in the Galwan Valley at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June 2020, which left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
Several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have failed to resolve the tension or lead to a complete disengagement of troops, thousands of whom, along with heavy weaponry, have been deployed on both sides of the LAC.
“China, India relations have encountered some setbacks in recent years which don’t serve the fundamental interests of two countries and the two peoples,” Wang Yi, who is a State Councillor, said.
Wang called for managing boundary differences through consultation, actively seeking a “fair and equitable” settlement.
Addressing his annual press conference on China’s foreign policy on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s legislature, Wang said that some forces have always sought to stoke tensions between China and India, in a veiled reference to the US.
“Their attempts have put more and more thoughtful people in reflection and on alert. More people have come to realise that for China and India, both major countries with a population of over a billion, only by staying independent can we firmly grasp our own destiny and realise our goals of development and rejuvenation,” the senior diplomat said.
Wang Yi said China hopes that India will work with them to “…uphold the strategic consensus that our two countries pose no threat, offer development opportunities to each other and continue to build mutual trust”.
The two countries, Wang said, should “…avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation so that we will be partners for mutual success instead of adversaries of mutual attrition.”
“We must make sure that our relationship moves forward on the right track, bring more benefits to our peoples and make greater contributions to (the) region and the world,” he said.
Only last month, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had said that India’s relationship with China was going through a “very difficult phase” after Beijing violated agreements that were signed not to bring military forces to the border and maintain peace and tranquillity along the LAC.
Wang glossed over the fact that New Delhi has repeatedly told Beijing that progress in the disengagement process in eastern Ladakh was essential for the restoration of peace and tranquillity and - the basis for the development of overall bilateral ties.
In fact, during his meeting with Wang in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe in September, Jaishankar emphasised that the two sides should work towards early resolution of the remaining issues along the LAC while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols.
“We are going through a particularly bad patch in our relationship because they (China) have taken a set of actions in violation of agreements for which they still don’t have a credible explanation and that indicates some rethink about where they want to take our relationship, but that’s for them to answer,” Jaishankar had said at the Bloomberg New Economic Forum in Singapore in November.
Talks between the two countries are continuing.
The 14th round of Corps Commander-level meeting was held on January 12 during which the two sides agreed to maintain dialogue through military and diplomatic channels to work out a “mutually acceptable resolution” of the remaining issues of the standoff at eastern Ladakh.
China had described as positive and constructive the last round of military-level talks and said Beijing will work closely with New Delhi to “properly handle” the border issue.
