India, China envoys discuss border peace, trade to boost cooperation

NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday (Aug 18) discussed border peace, trade and bilateral exchanges, aiming to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

“We had productive conversations on our economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity and bilateral exchanges,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.

He added that the talks would help build a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China.

BORDER TALKS, TROOP PULLBACKS

Wang arrived in New Delhi for a two-day visit during which he will hold the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jaishankar stressed that discussing border issues was essential, since the basis for any positive momentum in India-China ties was the ability to jointly maintain peace in frontier areas.

“Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, our two nations now seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides,” Jaishankar told Wang in his opening remarks.

He added it was important for both countries to pull back troops massed along their disputed border in the western Himalayas since a deadly 2020 clash.

MODI VISIT LOOMS LARGE

Wang’s trip comes just days before Modi heads to China, his first visit in seven years, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, which also includes Russia.

Relations between the two countries began to thaw last October after New Delhi and Beijing reached a milestone pact to reduce military tensions on their Himalayan border following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi in Russia.

Ties had sharply deteriorated after a 2020 border clash in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed.