Jaishankar raises LAC de-escalation, ‘restrictive trade’ with Beijing

India and China must resolve border-related issues, including disengagement, and avoid “restrictive trade measures” to normalise their relationship, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing today.

“It is now incumbent upon us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation,” Jaishankar told Wang, according to a statement by the MEA.

The two sides don’t have a demarcated border and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) serves as the de facto boundary. The issue of de-escalation has been pending since October last year when the neighbours agreed to disengage from two friction points, following which both countries called a truce to the standoff that began in 2020.

This is the second time in three weeks that India has referred to the need for de-escalation on the LAC. Last month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had, with his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun, stressed the need for a “permanent solution” to the border issue. He had also suggested a roadmap for permanent de-escalation of troops.

Jaishankar lauded the progress made over the past nine months for the normalisation of relations. “It is a result of the resolution of friction along the border and our ability to maintain peace. This is fundamental to strategic trust and smooth development of relations,” he said.

Addressing the recent curbs imposed by China on the export of rare earths (needed to produce electronic parts), Jaishankar said, “It is also essential that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks are avoided.” He said the bilateral relationship required a “far-seeing approach”, adding, “Stable and constructive ties are best done by handling relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.” The minister reminded Wang that differences should not become disputes, nor should competition ever become conflict.

Since PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting in Kazan in October 2024, the India-China ties have been gradually moving in a positive direction. “Our responsibility is to maintain that momentum,” Jaishankar told Wang. He also suggested bilateral meetings be held regularly in each other’s countries. He highlighted measures towards normalising people-to-people exchanges, which could foster mutually beneficial cooperation.

Jaishankar is on a two-day visit to China to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — his first trip to the country since the military standoff started in May 2020. He is scheduled to visit Tianjin (China) for the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting whose primary mandate is to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. “This is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance for terrorism will be strongly upheld,” the minister said. He also called on Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng during the day.

India