‘Indo-China relations have made steady progress’: PM Modi on meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Guided by mutual respect for each other’s interests and sensitivities, Indo-China relations have made “steady progress” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan last year, PM Modi said in a post on X after the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the PM.

Yi, who is also a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, handed over a message and an invitation from President Xi to the Prime Minister for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit being held in Tianjin. He also shared his positive assessment of the bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the 24th Meeting of the Special Representatives, which he co-chaired with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during his visit.

The Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border, and reiterated India’s commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.

The Prime Minister welcomed the steady and positive progress in bilateral ties since his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Kazan last year. PM Modi said that the progress was guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, including the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrimage.

The PM, in his meeting with Foreign Minister Yi, thanked President Xi for the invitation to the SCO Summit and conveyed his acceptance. He expressed support for China’s Presidency of the SCO Summit and said that he looked forward to meeting President Xi in Tianjin. The PM underlined that stable, predictable, and constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional and global peace and prosperity.

According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Yi, in his meeting with his counterpart, EAM S Jaishankar, stated, “In today’s world, unprecedented changes are unfolding at a faster pace, unilateralism and bullying acts are rampant, and free trade and the international order face severe challenges.”

Yi added that as the two largest developing countries with a combined population of more than 2.8 billion, China and India should demonstrate a “sense of global responsibility, act as major countries, set an example for developing countries in pursuit of strength through unity, and contribute to advancing a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations.”

Representatives of both countries shared their views on international and regional issues of common interest and concern. According to reports, India has raised the question of the supply of rare-earth elements from China, which Beijing has blocked since April. However, no such breakthrough has been announced yet.