Resolving border disputes key for mutual trust between India, China, says Jaishankar

India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar on July 14 said resolving the border disputes and maintaining peace are “fundamental for mutual trust” between India and its neighbour China.

The remarks were made during his meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit in Tianjin in China.

“Measures towards normalising people-to-people exchanges can certainly foster mutually beneficial cooperation, Jaishankar said during his meeting with Wang.

Jaishankar said that two neighbours have made “good progress” over the last nine months for the normalisation of relations and it was important to avoid restrictive trade measures.

“Mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity should be basis for handling India-China relations,” he added.

The minister, during his opening remarks, also conveyed India’s concerns on terrorism and said his meeting with Wang will include views on both global and regional issues. Jaishankar pointed out that the SCO summit, which will take place on July 15, has a primary mandate to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. “This is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance for terrorism will be strongly upheld,” he said.

“As foreign minister, you have been long responsible for our overall bilateral relations. I am happy to have this in-depth discussion on the state of our ties in an era of profound change. I look forward to a constructive and forward-looking exchange of views,” the minister added.

Jaishankar arrived in China for the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, marking his first visit to the country since the 2020 border clashes in Galwan.

The visit, alongside defence minister Rajnath Singh’s trip in June, is being viewed as the strongest indication yet of a slow but deliberate reset in the turbulent India-China relationship.

Earlier in the day, the minister also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and conveyed that continued normalisation of India-China ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes and an open exchange of views between the two sides is “very important” considering the “complex” global scenario.

Pleased to meet Vice President Han Zheng soon after my arrival in Beijing today.

Conveyed India’s support for China’s SCO Presidency.

Noted the improvement in our bilateral ties. And expressed confidence that discussions during my visit will maintain that positive trajectory. pic.twitter.com/F8hXRHVyOE

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 14, 2025

The external affairs minister held talks with Zheng shortly after landing in the Chinese capital from Singapore in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip.

“Our bilateral relationship, as you have pointed, has been steadily improving since the meeting between Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October,” Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks in the meeting.

“I am confident that my discussions in this visit will maintain that positive trajectory,” he said.

In the last few months, India and China have initiated a number of measures to repair the bilateral ties that had severely nosedived following the deadly clashes between the two militaries in June 2020.

With agency inputs