External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today met his Chinese Counterpart Wang Yi during the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum Meetings at Manila in Philippines. In his opening remarks, Dr Jaishankar emphasised the gradual normalisation of India-China relations while stressing that peace along the border remains a fundamental prerequisite for deeper bilateral cooperation.
He said both nations believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. He added that such relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world. Dr Jaishankar welcomed several recent confidence-building measures, including the resumption of direct flights, updates to the visa regime, the restart of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, and the re-commencement of border trade.
The minister reiterated the understanding reached by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping that differences should not become disputes, describing it as diplomacy’s responsibility to manage them effectively.
