External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that differences between India and China are expected, given that they are large neighbouring countries. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that while both countries have an interest in maintaining a workable relationship, several issues between them have to be addressed.
“Are there other issues? Yes, there are. I mean, between big countries, between big neighbours, there will be issues. During the discussion, Jaishankar was asked whether India’s approach to resolving the boundary dispute with China had shifted. Responding to the question, he clarified that any final settlement would have to cover the entire boundary. “For any settlement to happen, it will have to include the entire boundary. And I mean, it has never been any… I don’t think there’s a change of position in that sense. I mean, any settlement has to be across, but any discussion also, any concrete discussion has to begin somewhere, you know. Jaishankar stressed that maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border had been a key principle guiding India-China relations since the 1980s.
So we’ve got to recognise that and address those issues,” the senior BJP leader said. However, he said discussions on specific areas could provide a starting point for progress. I mean, there’s got to be a starting point,” he said. He said the two countries had established agreements and detailed procedures to manage border activities and prevent confrontations.
He noted that the hostility following the Galwan clashes was understandable in the circumstances but did not serve either country’s interests.
These developments affected the broader relationship, including trade, political ties and civil society exchanges, according to Jaishankar. He said restoring peace along the border had been necessary before relations could move towards greater normalcy, adding that the process would take time. Jaishankar said both India and China recognised that maintaining a basic working relationship was in their respective national interests.
