India, China Foreign Ministers Meet to Discuss ‘Outstanding Issues’

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (R) speaking with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting in Benaulim, on May 4, 2023. Indian Ministry of External Affairs/AFP via Getty Images

India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Thursday he had “a detailed discussion” with his Chinese counterpart about “outstanding issues” pertaining to the India-China border dispute.

The two ministers met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers meeting in Goa, India. The SCO is an eight-member multilateral organization, which also includes Russia.

Jaishankar stated on Twitter that his bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was focused on “resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.”

“A detailed discussion with state councilor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship,” the Indian minister stated. His ministry did not issue any official readout about the meeting.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qin told Jaishankar that the current India-China border situation is “generally stable” and urged India to abide by relevant agreements signed by both leaderships.

Qin said China is willing to conduct “bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks” with India to push for “healthy” bilateral ties.

“China and India, the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernization,” the Chinese official said.

India-China Border Dispute

Relations between India and China have been strained since the 2020 confrontation between their troops on a disputed Himalayan border, which left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.

The 2020 conflict has led to a heavy military buildup on both sides of the disputed border. India has said that restoring normalcy with China is “impossible” should the border situation remains unresolved.

This video frame grab taken from footage recorded in mid-June 2020 and released by China Central Television (CCTV) on Feb. 20, 2021, shows Chinese (foreground) and Indian soldiers (R, background) during an incident where troops from both countries clashed in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley, in the Karakoram Mountains in the Himalayas. The two sides again clashed on Dec. 9, 2022 in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh leading to injuries. AFP Photo/China Central Television

During his visit to the Dominican Republic in April, Jaishankar said that India strives to advance ties with all nations without seeking exclusivity, but China falls into “a somewhat different category.”

“Whether it is the U.S., Europe, Russia, or Japan, we are trying to ensure that all these ties advance without seeking exclusivity,” he told reporters, according to India Today.

“China falls in a somewhat different category because of the boundary dispute and the currently abnormal nature of our ties. That is an outcome of a violation of agreements regarding border management by them,” he added.

China Refused to Acknowledge Clashes

Last December, Indian and Chinese troops scuffled along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang Sector, which borders southern China, causing minor injuries on both sides.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Chinese troops tried to “unilaterally change the status quo” by crossing the LAC—a demarcation line between the Indian territory and the Chinese-controlled area.

“The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the [People’s Liberation Army] from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” he stated.

But China refused to acknowledge the skirmish, saying the overall border situation at Tawang Sector was “stable.”

Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, on the sidelines of the SCO meeting on April 27 and urged to resolve border disputes under existing India-China accords.

He told Li that “violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation,” according to his ministry.