Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat that both sides "should meet each other halfway to push bilateral relations back onto the track of stable and healthy development".
Wang met Rawat on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday's virtual BRICS summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Along with Xi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are scheduled to join the two days of discussions.
Wang said that that China and India's common interests far outweigh their differences, adding that the two sides should support rather than undermine each other, strengthen cooperation rather than guard against each other, and enhance mutual trust rather than be suspicious of each other. He called on both sides to adhere to the important strategic consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, insist on placing the border issue in a proper position within bilateral ties, and seek solutions through dialogue and consultation.
The meeting assume ssignificance as it took place amid the chill in bilateral ties over the two-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh. As a result of military-level talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are key for the overall development of the bilateral ties.
-with PTI inputs
