Border disputes shouldn't impact interests of bilateral cooperation: Chinese Foreign Minister

Beijing, Mar 8: Chinese state councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China-India relations have “encountered some setbacks in recent years” which don’t serve the fundamental interests of two countries and the two peoples. He further added that these "recent setbacks" do not serve the interests of both countries, calling on ties “to move forward on the right track”.

 

Speaking to reporters at his annual press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the National People’s Congress or Parliament in Beijing, Wang said both sides should not let boundary issues ‘interfere’ with the rest of the relationship.

 

 

The Chinese Minister said that China has all along advocated managing differences through equal footing consultation and actively seeking a “fair and equitable settlement” and meanwhile not letting it affect or interfere with the bigger picture of bilateral cooperation adding that the boundary question is a leftover from history.

 

 

The Chinese Minister said some forces have always sought to stoke tension between China and India and division between regions. “Their attempts have put more and more thoughtful people in reflection and on alert,” he said at a press conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the ongoing annual meeting of the Chinese legislature.

 

 

Wang said that China and India should be partners rather than rivals. Both countries should uphold the strategic consensus that they do not pose threat to each other, offer development opportunities to each other and continue to build mutual trust, avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation so that to become partners for mutual success instead of adversaries of mutual attrition.

 

Noting that China and India have a combined population of over 2.8 billion and account for one-third of humanity, Wang said, Global peace and prosperity will have a solid foundation when our two countries work for active stability and prosperity and living in peace and harmony. “As an India proverb goes, help your own brother’s boat across and your own will reach the shore. We must make sure that our relationship moves forward on the right track bring more benefits to our peoples and make a greater contribution to the region and the world,” he said.

 

 

However, Wang did not say much on ways to develop mutual trust and avoid misunderstanding in the face of the ongoing border standoff for around the last two years which has seen a historic dip in the bilateral relations. Both the countries have held 14 rounds of military-level talks to disengage their troops at the border in eastern Ladakh and subsequent de-escalation but both the armies could disengage only at a few friction areas with few still remaining. Both sides had agreed to meet again.

 

 

External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, during the recent Quad Foreign Ministers Meet in Melbourne, had said that China had violated written agreements by amassing troops. “The situation at the LAC has arisen due to the disregard by China in 2020 of written agreements with us not to amass forces at the border. So, when a large country disregards written commitments, I think it’s an issue of a legitimate concern for the entire international community,” Dr. Jaishankar had said.