China calls for ‘enhancing trust,’ India seeks peace at border as top diplomats meet

• Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar hosts Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi
• 2 Himalayan neighbors have recently taken several steps to stabilize bilateral relations, strained since fall of 2019
• After 'difficult' period, ‘two nations now seek to move ahead,’ Jaishankar says

ISTANBUL

China on Monday called for “enhancing” political trust while India sought peace at the borders as the foreign ministers met in New Delhi amid improving ties between the two Himalayan neighbors.

Beijing “is willing to take the opportunity” of Wang Yi’s visit to India to “work together with the Indian side in implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, enhance political mutual trust, strengthen practical cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the sustained, healthy, and stable development of China-India relations,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in the Chinese capital.

It is Wang’s first trip to the world’s most populous nation since 2022, as bilateral ties deteriorated since the fall of 2019, leading to the death of some 24 soldiers along the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh region of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir in May 2020.

However, the two sides have recently taken several steps to normalize the ties, de-escalate at the borders, leading to a meeting between China’s President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last October on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia's southwestern city of Kazan.

During his two-day trip, Wang, as the special representative on the China-India boundary question, will hold the 24th round of talks with the Indian national security adviser, Ajit Doval.

Modi is expected to pay an official visit to China at the end of this month, where he will also attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization leaders.

Indian top diplomat seeks peace at borders

During his meeting with Wang, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said following a “difficult” period in bilateral ties, “two nations now seek to move ahead,” urging peace in the border areas.

“This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides. In that endeavor, we must be guided by the three mutuals - mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest,” he said, adding that “differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict.”

Ahead of the border talks tomorrow between the two nations, Jaishankar said, “The basis for any positive momentum in our ties is the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.”

“It is also essential that the de-escalation process move forward,” Indian diplomat added.

China urges 'correct strategic understanding' of ties

During his talks with Jaishankar, Wang urged both sides to establish a “correct strategic understanding” of bilateral ties, noting that Beijing and New Delhi should view each other as “partners” rather than “adversaries.”

“China and India should strengthen their confidence, meet each other halfway, eliminate interference, expand cooperation, and consolidate the momentum of improvement in China-India relations,” he said.

He urged the two neighbors to “explore a correct path for neighboring major countries to coexist based on mutual respect and trust, peaceful coexistence, common development, and win-win cooperation.”