Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held extensive discussions with China's Vice Foreign Minister Hua Chunying and other senior officials in Beijing, reviewing bilateral relations, trade, cultural exchanges, and emphasising peace and tranquillity in border areas. His visit aims to advance the vision of both nations as development partners.
Jaishankar said India-China ties have been abnormal since 2020 when peace and tranquillity in border areas were disturbed due to Chinese actions.
India and China held diplomatic talks to review the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), discussing boundary delimitation, border management, and trans-border cooperation. Both nations stressed the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity for bilateral relations and agreed to continue using existing channels to resolve outstanding issues.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held "constructive" talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi, focusing on the normalisation of bilateral ties. The discussions reviewed recent developments and progress towards rebuilding trust after the eastern Ladakh border standoff. Both sides have implemented measures, including disengagement pacts and high-level meetings, to improve relations.
A senior Chinese Communist Party official stated that the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping was fruitful, leading to a new consensus on developing bilateral relations. Both countries aim to enhance cooperation and manage differences.
While tensions have eased at several friction points and mechanisms for managing the boundary have been reactivated, underlying differences persist. Disputes over naming practices in Arunachal Pradesh, continued infrastructure development on both sides, and unresolved questions regarding patrolling rights indicate that the structural gap remains, notes Dr Kumar.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would not interfere in the "delicate" bilateral relations between India and China, expressing confidence in their ability to resolve border disputes amicably. He also discussed Russia's independent partnerships with both nations, touched upon India-Pakistan ties, and highlighted ongoing and proposed defence cooperation with India, including the BrahMos missile and a potential Su-57 fighter jet project.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on India and China to view each other as partners rather than rivals, emphasising the importance of cooperation for regional stability and development.
India's dual pursuit of a robust strategic partnership with Washington and a pragmatic, tension-management policy with Beijing represents the essence of modern multi-alignment. By embracing economic pragmatism, learning to compartmentalize political differences, and engaging in continuous dialogue, India can secure its borders, grow its economy, and contribute to a stable, multipolar Asian century, points out Ambassador Rajasekhar.
India and China held constructive talks on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, emphasising that maintaining border peace and tranquillity enabled progress in normalising overall relations.
'India and China have the wise and sage leadership to steer this complex relationship in the coming decades.'
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi, stressing the importance of respecting each other's "core interests" and implementing leaders' consensus for stable bilateral relations. Wang highlighted that India and China should view each other as partners, not rivals, and properly handle sensitive issues like the border dispute to foster cooperation and accelerate the modernisation of the Global South.
Dhaka and Beijing on Thursday agreed to strengthen cooperation on the management of the Teesta and other rivers and signed 13 agreements to bolster bilateral ties following talks between Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
A Chinese official stated that India and China should view each other as cooperative partners and opportunities for development, not rivals or threats. This statement came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments on the independent and strong ties Russia maintains with both nations, emphasising non-interference in India-China relations.
Senior officials from India and China's foreign ministries met in Beijing to discuss bilateral ties following a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi.
Forecasts of a frosty, rough patch in India-China relations, observers in New Delhi and Beijing told rediff.com, may be inaccurate, at least for now.
'The muscularity of the last three years didn't bring any dividends and if anything, Chinese attitudes only hardened,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
India has strongly criticised China's practice of assigning 'fictitious names' to areas within Indian territory, stating that such actions are futile attempts to alter reality and negatively impact efforts to normalise bilateral relations.
Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi asserts that India and the United States are natural partners, crucial in the geopolitical competition with China. She highlights India's pivotal role as the world's largest democracy with a young, English-speaking population, despite its "chaotic" nature. Nooyi also discusses the need for leaders to understand each other's perspectives to maintain strong bilateral ties.
Beyond imprisonment, candidates caught cheating face cancellation of examination scores, blacklisting under China's social credit system and multi-year bans from appearing in state examinations.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Manila, reiterating that peace and tranquillity in border areas are prerequisites for normal India-China relations. He stressed the importance of mutual respect, interest, and sensitivity, while also raising concerns about market access, trade imbalance, and supply chain uncertainties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to New Zealand culminated in the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, with a focus on doubling trade and enhancing cooperation in sports and the Indo-Pacific region. Modi and his counterpart Christopher Luxon attended a sports showcase, acknowledging a century of sporting ties and discussing future collaborations, including India's preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2030. The visit also saw 18 concrete outcomes and 10 agreements signed, alongside discussions with business leaders.
It is an unusual choice to depute a retired general for the funeral of a revered religious figure but a thoughtful one in an attempt to inject verve into the bilateral relationship and restore the equilibrium in India's West Asian policies, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
China has welcomed the appointment of Vikram Doraiswami as the new Indian Ambassador, expressing optimism for improved Sino-India relations. Doraiswami, a seasoned diplomat with experience in China, is expected to play a key role in managing complex bilateral issues and fostering cooperation.
'China continues to perceive its relations with India through the prism of India-US relations, with the US using India to counter balance against China in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.'
Trump can afford to say that COVID-19 is a 'China virus', but we can't expect Modi to say that aloud while his actions may speak louder, says Rup Narayan Das.
Gwadar is viewed as a critical pearl in China's maritime strategy as it would give a permanent logistical footprint near an important choke point - the Strait of Hormuz and the oil rich Persian Gulf, explains Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India-China relations have made steady progress in the last 10 months, guided by respect for each other's interests and sensitivities. He made the remarks after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
'India should hold several high-level chess tournaments that would attract the world's top players so that the country will have a say in the game.'
For the foreseeable future, the most likely outcome remains continuation of the status quo. Taiwan will remain self-governing without formally declaring independence, while China continues to apply sustained pressure short of war, predict Krishnan Srinivasan and Manoj Mohanka.
It is plain to see that the US senate bill's real objective is to derail India's time-tested strategic partnership with Russia, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
New Delhi organisers are confident of delivering a 'world-class spectacle' for the upcoming Badminton World Championships, having addressed previous concerns regarding venue cleanliness, air quality, and animal control that marred the India Open earlier this year.
For India, the guiding principle should remain clear: Engage Bangladesh as a sovereign nation and society rather than through the prism of any individual leader or political party, suggests Manoj Mohanka.
Chinese leaders, including its generals, will have to weigh whether they can win a war if they ever attack Taiwan and if at all, can they sustain the subsequent devastation, notes Rup Narayan Das.
Phunchuk Stobdan's forte was candour and strong views on India's defence. Naturally, India's adversaries were in awe of him, fearing his views and unyielding stand on boundary issues, remembers Tarun Vijay.
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a comprehensive bill imposing extensive sanctions on Russia, with India identified as one of five countries that could incur tariffs for its continued purchase of Russian oil.
Chinese foreign policy will acquire a more ideological and less pragmatic character. It will be conducted with more nationalist overtones, predicts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised India's military modernisation efforts at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, highlighting its growing industrial and logistics capacity.
Border trade between India and China through the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district is set to resume this year after a six-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour in New Zealand, where he and his counterpart Christopher Luxon elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership. The visit focused on doubling trade by 2030 and expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, marking the first visit by an Indian PM in 40 years.
