Vientiane [Laos], July 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings on Thursday, and reiterated the need to ensure “full respect” for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and past agreements.
Jaishankar asserted that the stabilisation of ties is in the mutual interest of both the countries. The two leaders also agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process.
Taking to social media platform X, Jaishankar said, “Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi in Vientiane today. Continued our ongoing discussions about our bilateral relationship. The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties.”
“Agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process. Must ensure full respect for the LAC and past agreements. It is in our mutual interest to stabilize our ties. We should approach the immediate issues with a sense of purpose and urgency,” he added.
https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1816478915025854587
Notably, in 2020, the Indian and Chinese troops clashed at Galwan, the same year the pandemic started.
Since May 2020, when the Chinese troops tried to aggressively change the status quo on LAC in eastern Ladakh, both sides have been deployed in forward positions near Patrolling Point 15, which emerged as a friction point in the wake of the Galwan clash.
Over 50,000 Indian soldiers have been stationed since 2020 at forward posts along the LAC, with advanced weapons to prevent any attempts to change the status quo unilaterally on the LAC.
During the meeting, Jaishankar also stressed the importance of the three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity — to India-China ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.
“The meeting gave the two Ministers an opportunity to review the situation since their last meeting at Astana on 4 July 2024. Their talks focussed on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to stabilize and rebuild bilateral relations,” the release stated.
“Both ministers agreed on the need to work with purpose and urgency to achieve complete disengagement at the earliest. Peace and tranquillity on the borders and respect for LAC are essential for normalcy in bilateral relations. Both sides must fully abide by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two Governments in the past. EAM stressed the importance of the three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity — to our ties,” it added.
India and China will also hold an early meeting of the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) to take the discussions forward.
The two ministers also exchanged views on the global and regional situation.
The Foreign Minister, in his remarks said that the meeting provides the two leaders opportunity to take forward the ongoing discussions on bilateral relations.
“I am very glad we could meet today, on the sidelines of East Asia Summit, Foreign Ministers Meeting. We had met at the beginning of the month…at the SCO meeting. This conversation provides us another opportunity to take forward the ongoing discussions on bilateral relations,” Jaishankar said.
“Our ability to make sure they are stable, and forward looking is essential both for the prospects of Asia and that of the multipolar world…There are issues, where our interests converge. In our previous meeting, we had both agreed in this regard,” he added.
He further said that New Delhi and Beijing have made efforts to resolve the border dispute and their endeavour is to complete the process.
“You are aware that the disturbance to peace and tranquillity in our border areas cast a shadow on our ties for the last four years. We have both made efforts to resolve the issues, our endeavour is to complete that process. Our endeavour is to complete that process and ensure there is full respect for Line of Actual Control,” the EAM said.
Jaishankar is on a visit to Vientiana from July 25 to 27 to take part in the Foreign Ministers’ Meetings under the ASEAN framework in the format of the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
The visit underlines India’s deep engagement with and the importance India attaches to the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, our strong commitment to ASEAN unity, ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and taking forward the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
It is of particular significance that this year marks a decade of India’s Act East Policy, which was announced by the Prime Minister at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014, the MEA said.
ASEAN is a political and economic union of 10 countries in Southeast Asia. As the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) continues to grow in strength, India, too remains a valued partner for the economic union. (ANI)
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