ISTANBUL

China on Friday called on India to “overcome interference and difficulties” in bilateral relations as the two sides are locked in a border dispute.

“Before the border issue is resolved, both China and India should jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas,” Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Beijing.

“We hope to work together with the Indian side to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote strategic mutual trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, overcome interference and difficulties, and push bilateral relations forward on a healthy and stable track,” said Wang, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.

Beijing’s comments come as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The duo agreed to ask their officials to work at resolving their border dispute, according to Indian officials.

The feud over the 3,000-km (1,860-mile) Himalayan border, known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh area of disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, erupted in May 2020, sparking clashes. Thousands of troops were deployed to both sides of the boundary, resulting in 24 deaths.

At least 19 rounds of talks involving diplomats and military officials have been held to resolve the standoff, but there has been no breakthrough.

“China's position on the China-India border issue has always been consistent and clear. The border issue is a historical legacy and not the entirety of China-India relations,” Wang further said.

“It should be placed in an appropriate position in bilateral relations and resolved through peaceful and friendly negotiations to find a just, reasonable, and mutually acceptable solution,” he added.