‘Not rivals or threats’: India, China seek reset as envoys discuss border stability and trade cooperation

‘Not rivals or threats’: India, China seek reset as envoys discuss border stability and trade cooperation

NEW DELHI, Aug 19 — Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held discussions on border security, trade and bilateral exchanges yesterday, with both sides signalling a desire to improve ties.

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NEW DELHI, Aug 19 — Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held discussions on border security, trade and bilateral exchanges yesterday, with both sides signalling a desire to improve ties.

Jaishankar said the talks covered a range of issues, including economic and trade cooperation, religious pilgrimages, people-to-people links, river data sharing, border trade and connectivity, and would help build a stable, forward-looking relationship.

According to a Chinese statement, Wang noted that high-level exchanges and dialogue were gradually resuming and that bilateral ties were moving back towards cooperation. He said China and India should see each other as partners and opportunities, not as rivals or threats, and should set an example for other developing nations.

Wang is in New Delhi for a two-day visit during which he will hold the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier, Jaishankar said border issues remained critical, as the foundation for any improvement in India-China ties depended on jointly maintaining peace in the border areas. He also emphasised the need to withdraw troops massed along their disputed frontier in the western Himalayas since deadly clashes in 2020.

Wang’s visit comes shortly before Modi is expected to travel to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit — his first visit to the country in seven years.

Relations between the two Asian powers began to thaw last October after both sides agreed to reduce military tensions on the Himalayan border following talks between Xi Jinping and Modi in Russia. Ties had deteriorated sharply after a 2020 border clash that left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead. — Reuters

This file photo shows Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar speaking to the media following talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, in Berlin, Germany, May 23, 2025. — Reuters pic

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