External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said it’s in the common interest of  India ad China to not have “that many forces on the Line of Actual Control (LAC)”.

Responding to a question by Zhou Yongsheng, political counsellor at the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, who asked how China and India, as “important neighbours”, could find common interests and be partners instead of being rivals, the EAM said, “I think it’s in our common interest that we should not have that many forces on the LAC, it’s in our common interest that we should observe agreements that we have. And today, it’s not just in common interest, I believe it’s in China’s interest as well.”

“The tension has not served either of us well. So the sooner  we resolve it, I genuinely believe it’s good for both of us. And I’m still very much committed to finding a fair, reasonable outcome. But one which is respectful of agreements, which recognises the LAC, and doesn’t seek to change the status quo,” Jaishankar added.

“To me, the territory of India and the fairness of a boundary solution has nothing to do with how many seats. Either it’s a good deal or not a good deal. The issue today is not whether you have a political majority or not. It is whether you have a fair deal on the table, that is the issue,” he further said when asked if the current dispensation would get more empowered to talk on the issue with more seats in Parliament.

Jaishankar was speaking at the Express Adda held in New Delhi on Monday, where he was in conversation with The Indian Express.