Vientiane, Laos: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, underscoring the need for “full respect” for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and adherence to past agreements to stabilize bilateral relations.
This meeting, held in Vientiane on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings, marked the second encounter between the two leaders this month. They both agreed on the necessity of providing strong guidance to complete the disengagement process.
“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 in the state of our ties,” Jaishankar posted on X after the meeting.
The discussions come amid a protracted border dispute in eastern Ladakh, which entered its fifth year in May. Jaishankar emphasized the importance of respecting the LAC and previous agreements, noting, “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.”
Earlier this month, Jaishankar and Wang Yi had met in Astana during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
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India has maintained that normalization of relations with China is contingent on peace in the border areas. The Indian and Chinese militaries have been engaged in a standoff since May 2020, with no comprehensive resolution yet, although both sides have disengaged from several friction points.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly after the violent clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020, which was the most severe military conflict between the two nations in decades.
