India-China talks: Border peace must, follow independent policy on India, Jaishankar to Wang Yi

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, March 25

India and China discussed the border situation as well as Beijing’s leaning towards Pakistan during three-hour talks between visiting Chinese Minister Wang Yi and EAM S Jaishankar here today.

Don’t allow outside influence: EAM

We hope China will follow an independent foreign policy with respect to India and not allow its policy to be influenced by others. — S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister

Earlier in the day, Wang met NSA Ajit Doval after arriving from Kabul last night for a visit the Chinese side did not want to announce. On being invited to China, Doval told Wang he would do so after immediate issues were resolved.

Jaishankar said progress had been made in resolving issues as regards various friction areas along the LAC and that talks today focused on taking forward the momentum in case of remaining areas. Jaishankar told Wang India found his observations on Kashmir at the OIC ministerial in Islamabad objectionable. “It was a subject discussed at some length. There was a larger context. We hope China will follow an independent foreign policy with respect to India and not allow its policy to be influenced by others,” he said.

“Our effort is to sort out the issue in entirety and look at de-escalation. The challenge has been to implement the agreements on the ground. It is a work-in-progress, obviously at a slower pace than desirable. My discussions were aimed at expediting that process,” he said.

“Peace and tranquility in border areas is the basis to move forward on bilateral ties and the answer in that sense cannot become normal till there is an abnormal presence of troops in large numbers,” he added. Jaishankar also “took up strongly” the predicament of Indian students studying in China who haven’t been allowed to return, citing Covid restrictions. “We hope China will take a non-discriminatory approach since it involves future of many young people,” he said, adding that Wang said he would speak to the authorities concerned in that regard.

On Ukraine, he said, “A common element was that both agreed on the importance of immediate ceasefire and return to diplomacy and dialogue.”

The issue of terror also came up and the minister spoke about concerns with respect to Pakistan.

In a statement, Wang said China and India should “put the differences on the boundary issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations” and maintained “China does not pursue the so-called unipolar Asia (approach) and respects India’s traditional role in the region”.

“The whole world will pay attention when China and India work hand in hand,” he said.

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