Jaishankar to Chinese foreign minister: ‘Mutual interests, respect, sensitivity should be basis for bilateral ties’ | India News

NEW DELHI: Bilateral ties between India and China are best served by observing mutual respect, interests and sensitivity, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday.
Jaishankar, during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, conveyed the need for an early resolution of all outstanding issues. They were speaking on the sidelines of a conclave of foreign ministers of the G20 nations in Bali, Indonesia.

The LAC stand-off and the pending border issues figured prominently during the talks between the leaders.
The stand-off has not been fully resolved despite several rounds of military-level talks, and the militaries are yet to disengage from several areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
Jaishankar reiterated the need to sustain the momentum to complete disengagement from all the remaining areas to restore peace and tranquility in border areas. He reaffirmed the importance of “fully abiding” by bilateral agreements and protocols, and the understandings reached between him and Wang in their previous conversations.
The leaders stressed that military and diplomatic officials from both sides should be in regular contact, and they looked forward to next round of senior commanders’ meeting at early date, the MEA said, commenting on the talks.
Soldiers of both sides clashed in hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh on June 15, 2020- the first border skirmish in several years that saw fatalities on both sides. 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives; the casualties on the Chinese side numbered about 35, according to various reports. But China has never officially acknowledged the figure.
The matter of Indian students returning to China to complete studies also came up during the talks between Jaishankar and Wang. The students had to return to India in the wake of the Covid outbreak, and have since been unable to return due to pandemic-related travel restrictions.
Earlier in April, the Chinese side had expressed willingness to consider facilitating the return of Indian students on a need-assessed basis, the Indian Embassy in China had said.
“The EAM stressed the need for expediting the process and facilitating the return of students on an early date,” the MEA said.