New Delhi's Minister of State Antony Blinken and Indian Sec. of State Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hold a joint news conference on Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan JNB on July 28th, 2021 in New Delhi, India. REUTERS Jonathan Ernst Files
NEW DELHI, Sept 17 Reuters - India has told China that their bilateral relations will only develop when both countries pull their troops back from a deadly confrontation on the disputed Himalayan border, the Indian foreign minister said.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had discussed the possibility of both sides withdrawing from their low face-off when he met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of a regional conference in Dushanbe on Thursday.
Disengagement discussed in border area. In Twitter, Jaishankar underlined that progress in this regard is essential for restoration of peace and tranquillity, which is the basis for development of bilateral ties.
Thousands of Indian and Chinese soldiers have been locked in Pakistan since last year when tension over a decades old border dispute blew up.
In June of last year, tension erupted into two hand fights resulting in deaths on both sides, the first being between them in decades.
After several rounds of talks between their commanders, their forces stepped back on some sections of the border including the Pangong Tso lake, a battle area near the site of last year's clashes.
However, troops backed by artillery remain dug in close proximity in other sectors.
In 1962, the Asian giants went to war over their border and never resolved the dispute. Even so, in recent years trade ties have flourished.
He said he also discussed recent global events with Wang. He did not give details.
India-China relations have been a source of tension, although Jaishankar's close military ties with Pakistan's archrival India is a source of tension.
It is also important that China does not view its relations with India through the lens of a third country, he said.
The two top officials are in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation for a meeting of Dushanbe. Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping are due to speak at the gathering via video link later on Friday.