New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval has made it clear to China that the tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since 2020 has undermined the public and political basis of the strategic trust and ties between the two countries.
Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, who met Doval in Johannesburg on Monday, called for “concrete policies” to be implemented by consensus to stabilize India-China relations.
He underlined that both sides should adhere to the strategic decision made by the two heads of state that “China and India are not a threat but provide development opportunities for each other”.
Wang was referring to the outcome of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in India in 2019.
However, in May 2020, Chinese troops violated agreements on the LAC and intruded into Indian territories, leading to tensions between the two countries.
Doval, who met Wang on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA meeting, stressed the importance of sustained efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, so as to remove obstacles to normalcy in bilateral relations.
A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said that both sides agreed that India-China bilateral relations are important not only for the two countries, but also for the region and the world.
In its own statement, China blamed India for the current border tensions, saying Wang encouraged “the two countries” to enhance strategic mutual trust, focus on consensus and cooperation, and return bilateral relations to a healthy and stable development path as soon as possible.
The statement also quoted him as saying that China-India relations influence the world at large.
‘Wanted to work with China to normalize ties’
China’s statement said China will never seek hegemony, and is ready to work with developing countries, including India, to support multilateralism and democratization of international relations, and promote a more just and equitable development of the international system.
Meanwhile, official Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted Doval as saying that India and China have broad common interests.
It also quoted Doval as saying that India is willing to work with China to find a fundamental solution to the border issues and improve bilateral relations in a timely manner, in a spirit of mutual understanding and mutual respect, so as to make positive contributions to world peace and prosperity.
Sources in the Indian defense and security establishment also told ThePrint that India is willing to work with China to normalize relations, but the ball is in China’s court as it has been aggressive and changed the status quo on the LAC.
Incidentally, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had also met Wang earlier this month.
Although Jaishankar had tweeted about the meeting saying that they discussed border issues, there was no statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Read also: Why is India’s politics becoming populist and its economy nationalistic like the US and China?