BEIJING, July 15 — External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, marking the first high-level interaction between the two sides since the deadly Galwan Valley clash of June 2020.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ gathering, where Jaishankar was part of the official delegation. “Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties,” Jaishankar said in a post on X, sharing a photograph of the handshake between the two leaders.
The interaction follows a detailed round of talks Jaishankar held on Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi. The discussions, which touched on a broad range of issues, centered on restoring stability in bilateral ties and addressing lingering border tensions in eastern Ladakh.
“Held detailed talks with Politburo Member and FM Wang Yi in Beijing this evening,” Jaishankar posted on Monday. “Spoke about the need for a far-seeing approach to bilateral ties and building a stable and constructive relationship. Incumbent on us to address aspects related to the border, normalizing people-to-people exchanges, and avoiding restrictive trade measures and roadblocks.”
In his opening remarks during the meeting with Wang, Jaishankar noted that India and China had made “good progress” in the past nine months on normalizing ties due to the resolution of certain areas of friction along the Line of Actual Control. However, he emphasized that further steps were needed, particularly in de-escalating remaining border points.
“Confident that on the foundation of mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity, ties can develop along a positive trajectory,” he added.
India remains committed to constructive dialogue with China, even as both nations continue efforts to manage the complex dynamics of their relationship, including trade concerns and the still-tense border situation. Jaishankar is scheduled to participate in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tianjin on Wednesday.
Read more: Differences Must Not Become Disputes: India Tells China
