Chinese Minister’s visit to India for talks does not indicate restoration of normal relations, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi greet the media before their meeting in New Delhi, on Friday | Photo Credit: Reuters

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to India to discuss bilateral and international issues  does not signal resumption of normal relations between the two countries as restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas with China was a pre-requisite for normalcy, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

“Frictions and tensions arising from China’s actions in April 2020 cannot be reconciled with normal relationship between two neighbours,” Jaishankar said at a press conference following his three-hour long meeting with Wang Yi on Friday.

International issues

The two also extensively discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit to be hosted by Beijing later this year, and the need to allow Indian students to return to China to resume their studies.

The Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit to New Delhi marks the first high-level trip by a Chinese official in nearly two years since the 2020 Galwan Valley border clash between the two countries. No prior information on Wang Yi’s visit was shared by the two governments and some of the protocols usually followed during high level foreign visits may have been given a miss.

For instance, the Ministry of External Affairs did not release any pictures of the Minister being received at the Delhi airport by government representatives or give out details of his programme in India.

 “We discussed our bilateral relations that have been disturbed as a result of Chinese actions since April 2020. The occasion provided an opportunity to exchange views on major international issues, including Afghanistan and Ukraine. We also took up some other important concerns in our bilateral relationship, including education, travel and commerce,” Jaishankar said.

Disengagement talks

Wang Yi spoke about his country’s desire for a return to normalcy, while also referring to the larger significance of bilateral ties, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. “I was equally forthcoming that India wants a stable and predictable relationship. But restoration of normalcy will obviously require a restoration of peace and tranquillity. If we are both committed to improving our ties, then this commitment must find full expression in ongoing disengagement talks,” Jaishankar said.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who also met Wang Yi,  said that complete disengagement at Ladakh was required for normal ties.

So long as there are very large deployments of troops in the border areas, which are violative of 1993 and 1996 agreements, clearly the border area situation is not normal and we have a situation where peace and tranquillity has been disrupted, Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar also explained to his Chinese counterpart why India found his remark on Kashmir at the OIC meeting in Islamabad objectionable. “I conveyed that we hope that China would follow an independent policy in respect of India and not allow its policies to be influenced by other countries and other relationships,” he said.

On Ukraine, the two leaders gave an account of their perspective on the conflict. “...we discussed our respective approaches and perspectives but agreed that diplomacy and dialogue must be the priority,” Jaishankar said.

The two Foreign Ministers also discussed the Chinese chairing of the BRICS. “They spoke about hosting a summit at which they would naturally like participation of all leaders,” Jaishankar said.

Education

India took up  the predicament of Indian students studying in China who have not been allowed to return, citing Covid restrictions. “We hope that China will take a non-discriminatory approach since it involves the future of so many young people. Minister Wang Yi assured me that he would speak to the relevant authorities on his return on this matter. He also recognised the particular concerns that medical students have in this difficult situation,” Jaishankar said.

The agenda also included matters pertaining to trade and investment and India  continued to press for fairer market access, the Minister said.

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