China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's whistle-stop tour to India on Friday is a big step in a relationship that has plunged to a big low after the Chinese incursions at Galwan, which led to a deathly clash between the two armies, with loss of lives on both sides in 2020.
However, there is huge trust deficit, and the relationship is not normal, as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at a media briefing after his three-hour long meeting with Yi. The relationship cannot be normal as long as peace and tranquility along the border areas, which are the foundation of the ties, remain abnormal, he observed.
The Chinese side remained tight-lipped about the visit. When asked, the embassy officials said they had no information to share regarding the minister's visit.
Yi came to India after visiting Islamabad and Kabul. In Islamabad, where he attended the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meet, he made remarks about Kashmir, claiming that China has the same desire as its Islamic friends on Kashmir and that it would support “the people of Kashmir in their just freedom struggle''. New Delhi was upset with the statement, and the ministry of external affairs issued a caustic rejoinder, reminding the dignitary that India does not make remarks on the internal issues of other countries, including China.
It was certainly not the ideal atmosphere for hosting the same dignitary so soon.
A dignitary's visit is usually agreed upon by both countries and then announced, usually first by the visiting country, then by the host. For multilateral visits, the host country makes the announcements first. China, however, did not make any announcement, and so India too made no official announcement. In fact, late last night, when Yi arrived, the Chinese press photographers were present, but the embassy did not release a picture or statement.
“For whatever reasons, the Chinese did not want it [the visit] to be announced earlier,'' said Jaishankar.
Yi met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in the morning, and then held extensive talks with Jaishankar. The external affairs minister said the talks were on a “broad and substantive agenda'' . “We discussed our bilateral relations that have been disturbed as a result of Chinese actions since April 2020.''
The dignitary left for Kathmandu soon after the meeting. There was no courtesy call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the agenda.
While the two discussed a range of issues from the development in Ukraine and Afghanistan, to the situation of Indian students stuck in China since the pandemic, the mainstay of the discussions was the situation along the border areas. “Foreign Minister Wang Yi and I have been in touch with each other over the last two years, even if we had not visited each others' country. We met in Moscow in September 2020 and then again in Dushanbe in July and September 2021. We have had telephonic conversations during this period. And the focus of these interactions have naturally been on the situation in our border areas. Our meeting had led to an understanding on disengagement and de-escalation. The challenge, of course, has been to implement it on the ground. We have had 15 rounds of talks between senior commanders and progress has been achieved on several friction points from the disengagement perspective. This needs to be taken forward since the completion of disengagement is necessary for discussions on de-escalation to take place,” Jaishshankar said.
He described the current situation as “work in progress,” and said, “obviously at a slower pace than desirable and my discussions with FM Wang Yi were aimed at expediting the process.''
Both countries presented their views on the conflict in Ukraine. Jaishankar said on Ukraine, both agreed that “diplomacy and dialogue must be the priority.''
While the two did not raise the contentious topics of the Quad and Indo-Pacific, Jaishankar raised the issue of Yi's comments at the OIC. He told Yi how objectionable India found his remark, and also conveyed to the dignitary that China should follow an independent foreign policy with regard to India, and not get influenced by its relations with other countries.
China holds the presidency of the BRICS (Brazil Russia India China South Africa) grouping this year, and is likely to hold a summit of national leaders later this year. The date for the summit is not announced, neither is it clear whether it will be a physical or virtual one. China has a rather strict Covid policy regarding isolation and quarantines. It has not hosted any big international event since the pandemic; in fact, president Xi Jingping hasn't left the country since.
India has made it abundantly clear that disengagement and deescalation at the conflict points is priority, and only these actions will bring peace and tranquility to the border areas, without which other aspects of the bilateral cannot proceed. As Jaishankar said, the relationship hinged on thee mutuals—mutual respect, sensitivity and interest.
The Chinese side issued a small statement on the visit, stating that “Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that China and India should stick to their own development paths and join hands to safeguard peace and stability both in the region and in the world,'' at a meeting with Doval.
The statement further said Yi “made a three-point approach to achieving that end. First, both sides should view bilateral relations with a long-term vision. Second, they should see each others' development with a win-win mentality. Third, both countries should take part in the multilateral process with a posture''.
The visit may not have been the warmest hugfest, but the fact that the minister actually visited New Delhi, gives an indication that the Chinese, too, would like the situation to resolve. When will that happen, however, remains the big question.
