MANILA: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remain the “pre-requisite” for normal India-China ties, while also pressing Beijing to address New Delhi’s concerns over market access, trade imbalance and supply chain predictability during their meeting in Manila.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of high-level discussions under the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as the two neighbours continue efforts to stabilise relations after the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
Opening the talks, Jaishankar stressed that bilateral ties should rest on mutual respect, shared interests and sensitivity.
“We believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.”
“Such a relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world.”
Reiterating India’s long-standing position on the boundary issue, Jaishankar underscored that lasting peace along the border is essential for the broader relationship.
“Peace and tranquillity in the border areas is obviously the pre-requisite for normal ties. Since October 2024, both sides have engaged to ensure that important objective.”
“This will continue to need our constant attention. Relevant mechanisms in this domain must be given full support and strong encouragement.”
He also said that while differences between two major neighbouring countries are natural, they should not be allowed to escalate into disputes.
“It is natural that as two large and important nations, and that too proximate neighbours, India and China would have their own particular interests.”
“That is why our leaders had agreed that differences should not become disputes. It is the responsibility of diplomacy to properly manage them.”
Beyond the border issue, Jaishankar urged China to address long-pending economic concerns, saying stronger commercial ties require fairer trading conditions and more predictable supply chains.
“Fair market access and a trade balance ranks high in that regard. There are also concerns about predictability of supply chains. Facilitating both official and people-to-people exchanges merit our attention.”
“We also need to agree on the meetings of various mechanisms and platforms as per our mutual priorities.”
In a post on X after the meeting, Jaishankar reiterated that border peace remains fundamental to normal bilateral ties and highlighted the need to resolve issues relating to trade, supply chains and institutional engagement.
The meeting comes as India and China continue to rebuild ties following a breakthrough in October 2024, when both sides finalised disengagement arrangements for the Depsang and Demchok friction points in eastern Ladakh after years of military and diplomatic negotiations. Days later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan and agreed on a roadmap to improve bilateral relations.
Since then, both countries have announced a series of confidence-building measures, including the resumption of direct flights, faster approvals for business visas for Chinese professionals and the revival of border trade from August 1 after a six-year gap.
Economic engagement between the two countries remains significant despite strategic differences. India imported goods worth USD 132 billion from China in FY2025-26, its highest from any country, while bilateral trade stood at USD 151.1 billion, leaving India with a trade deficit of more than USD 100 billion. New Delhi has also eased restrictions on Chinese investments in select sectors this year, reversing some of the curbs imposed after the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clash, in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
PTI