China asks India to delink border issues from other bilateral relations

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang has suggested that India place the ongoing border dispute between the two neighbours in “an appropriate place in bilateral relations”, in what is seen as Beijing’s efforts to move beyond the border standoff.

Mr Qin held a meeting with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar for the first time since taking office in December 2022 on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Delhi on Thursday.

His statement on the bilateral meeting came after Mr Jaishankar said he discussed an “abnormal” state of ties between and the need to bring peace and tranquility to the border areas.

"There are real problems in that relationship that need to be looked at, that need to be discussed very openly and candidly between us. That’s what we sought to do today," Mr Jaishankar told reporters.

India and China are locked in a bitter border dispute in the remote Himalayas in the Ladakh region. The relationships deteriorated in 2020 when a number of Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed along the Line of Actual Control, leaving 20 Indian and at least four Peoples Liberation Army’s soldiers killed.

The skirmish turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

The Chinese foreign minister also added that relations between the two should be looked at from the perspective of changes in the world.

“The two sides should look at bilateral relations against the background of the century-old changes in the world, grasp bilateral cooperation from the perspective of national rejuvenation in China and India, and be peer partners on the road to modernization,” Mr Qin said.

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He added China is willing to work with India to speed up the resumption of exchanges and cooperation in various fields, resume direct flights as soon as possible, and facilitate personnel exchanges.

“As neighbouring countries and major emerging economies, China and India have far more common interests than differences,” he added.

“The development and revitalisation of China and India display the strength of developing countries, which will change the future of one-third of the world’s population, the future of Asia and even the whole world.”

The two countries should maintain “dialogue and properly resolve disputes”, and promote the improvement of bilateral relations.

Defence expert Pravin Sawhney said it showed the Chinese leadership’s intentions to thaw the relationship and forge ties in other areas of economic relations.

“Foreign minister Qin wants India to put bilateral issues in a proper context which means that border issue is one of the issues while India is saying border issue is the main issue unless it is resolved,” Mr Sawhney told The Independent.

He added that the Chinese diplomat’s comments come in a century when there is fierce geopolitical upheaval and suggested that they focus on how they can work together in win-win cooperation.

“It is basically a hardening of positions of two sides. And we should remember that the current foreign minister represents the second term of Xi Jinping. He is part of the change that has happened after the 20^th Chinese Communist Party meeting,” he added.

The border stand off has continued despite 17 rounds of military-level talks between Indian and Chinese armies.

In February last year, India and China pulled out troops from some locations on the northern and southern banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Galwan Valley in Ladakh after disengagement talks. Both sides, however, continue to maintain extra troops as part of a multi-tier deployment.