ISTANBUL 

Ties with India are “demonstrating a positive trend” in returning to the “path of cooperation,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

Wang, who is expected to call on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later Tuesday, made the comments during his bilateral meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, according to a readout of the meeting released by Beijing.

In New Delhi, Wang is meeting Indian national security adviser Ajit Doval on Tuesday for 24th round of boundary talks.

He is on his first trip to India since 2022 after ties between the Himalayan neighbors spiraled down in 2019, leading to border clashes in the Ladakh region of disputed Jammu and Kashmir in May 2020, which left 24 rival soldiers dead.

The trip also comes as the US-India strategic ties have witnessed strain under Trump's second term, as Washington has punished New Delhi with staggering 50% tariffs, accusing the world’s most populous country of “unfair trade” and “funding” Russia’s “war machine” as conflict in Ukraine continues.

New Delhi has pushed back on tariffs, calling them “unjust and unfair.”

Meeting Wang on Monday, Jaishankar said: “Confident that our discussions … would contribute to building a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China.”

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

Acknowledging “difficult period” in bilateral ties, Jaishankar, however, said the “two nations now seek to move ahead.”

While Jaishankar insisted differences should not become disputes between the two, Wang sought mutual respect and trust as well as peaceful coexistence.​​​​​​​

Wang said the two sides should view each other as “partners rather than adversaries or threats, and invest their respective valuable resources in development and revitalization” towards “win-win cooperation.”