External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi held talks on Thursday in Kazakhstan’s Astana amid the dragging border row in eastern Ladakh.
The two Foreign Ministers met on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The two leaders greeted each other with a warm handshake and posed for pictures before they headed for the bilateral meet. They discussed early resolution of remaining issues in border areas and agreed to redouble efforts through diplomatic and military channels to that end.
“Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi in Astana this morning. Discussed early resolution of remaining issues in border areas. Agreed to redouble efforts through diplomatic and military channels to that end,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
“Respecting the LAC and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas is essential. The three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest – will guide our bilateral ties,” he added.
Relations between the two countries hit a low except for trade ever since the eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area near Galwan. Since the May 2020 clashes, the two sides have so far held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff. The 22nd meeting is due to be held.
