Jaishankar meets Chinese counterpart: EAM says India-China relations improved in past 9 months; raises border, de-escalation issues | India News

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that India-China bilateral relations had made “good progress” in the past nine months, categorically mentioning the “resolution of friction along the border.” He, however, pressed upon the need to “address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation.”In his opening remarks during meeting with foreign minister of China Wang Yi, Jaishankar said, “Excellency, we have made good progress in the past nine months for the normalization of our bilateral relations. It is a result of the resolution of friction along the border and our ability to maintain peace and tranquility there. This is the fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust and for smooth development of bilateral relations. It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation.”“As neighbouring nations and major economies in the world today, there are various facets and dimensions of our ties. Measures towards normalizing our people to people exchanges can certainly foster mutually beneficial cooperation. It is also essential in this context that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks are avoided. I hope to discuss these issues in further detail,” he added.He also marked 75 years of the establishment of India-China relations and appreciated the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a gap of five years.“This year, we are marking the 75th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. We appreciate that the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra has also resumed after a gap of five years. I thank the Chinese side for their cooperation on this matter,” he said.Jaishankar held a meeting with Chinese vice president Han Zheng earlier in the day and conveyed India’s “support for China’s SCO Presidency.”This marks external affairs minister Jaishankar’s first visit to China since ties deteriorated after the deadly Galwan clash in 2020. His trip comes on the heels of recent visits by defence minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who were in China in June for SCO meetings.