In a major development in Indo-China relations amid the border stand-off, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, in his hour-long meeting with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, on Friday promised “early and complete disengagement” as the “present situation was not in mutual interest”, top sources told CNN-News18.
Sources quoted above told CNN-News18 that the NSA wanted disengagement and it was promised that the process will be completed soon. “They agreed that restoration of peace and tranquility will help build mutual trust and create enabling environment for progress in relations,” said the source.
The meeting was fruitful, people familiar with the developments told CNN-News18.
Currently, thousands of troops remain deployed along India’s remote border with China in the Himalayan snow deserts of Ladakh, where hand-to-hand fighting broke out in June 2020. At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed during a clash in Ladakh’s Galwan valley – the first deadly encounter between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades.
During the discussion, Doval and Yi said that both countries will move forward in strategic partnership.
According to sources, both agreed on the need to go forward and remove the impediments to allow the bilateral relationship to take its natural course.
Government sources said that Yi and Doval agreed that continuation of present situation was not in mutual interest. Sources added they also agreed to the need for positive interactions at diplomatic and military levels for restoration of peace and tranquility, a prerequisite for normalisation.
At the bilateral meet, both the countries said they would ensure that their actions do not violate the spirit of equal and mutual security, and they would work in the same direction to resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible.
The Chinese side invited the NSA to visit China. NSA has responded positively to the invitation and stated that he could visit after the immediate issues are resolved successfully.
The stance assumes importance at a time when Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has raised fears that China might attempt something similar in the future with Taiwan, which it claims to be an inalienable part of China.
The Chinese foreign minister is currently holding a meeting with Union minister of external affairs S Jaishankar.
THE EQUATION
After the Galwan clash, senior officers from both militaries held more than a dozen rounds of talks to deescalate the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, but progress has been limited.
Yi and Doval have been serving as the Special Representatives (SR) for boundary talks between the two countries. Doval and Yi held a lengthy telephonic conversation in July 2020 and the talks focused on bringing down tension in eastern Ladakh.
Last February, after multiple military parleys, Indian and Chinese troops completed a pullout from a lake area in Ladakh. Days later, Yi and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar agreed to set up a hotline.
Beijing has repeatedly said that border standoff does not represent the entirety of China-India relations, while New Delhi has maintained that peace along the frontier is essential for the two countries to work together.
Aside from the tensions in the Himalayas, New Delhi’s concerns are Beijing’s support for old foe Pakistan, the competition for influence in Nepal, and concern over China’s economic clout in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
Since 2020, New Delhi has tightened the screws on Chinese players in Asia’s third largest economy by increasing scrutiny of investments or imports and banning some mobile apps.
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