After two-and-half hours of bilateral talks between Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the two sides reached a five-point agreement to disengage and de-escalate the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
According to a joint statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs Friday, both ministers had a “frank and constructive” discussion on the developments in the India-China border areas, as well as on India-China relations, reports Indian Express.
According to the statement, the two ministers agreed that both sides should take guidance from the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries on developing India-China relations, and ensure differences do not become disputes.
The two foreign ministers agreed the current situation was not in the interest of either side. “They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions,” the MEA statement said.
The two ministers also agreed both sides should abide by all existing agreements and protocol on China-India boundary affairs, maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and avoid any action that could escalate matters, the statement said.
The two sides agreed to continue to engage in dialogue and communication through the special representative mechanism on the India-China boundary question. They also agreed, in this context, that the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), should continue its meetings.
The ministers agreed that as the situation eases, the two sides should expedite work to conclude new Confidence Building Measures to maintain and enhance peace and tranquility in border areas.
According to a statement by the Chinese embassy, “the two sides reached a five-point consensus” regarding the current situation after a “full, in-depth discussion”.
“Wang said that China-India relations have once again come to a crossroads. But as long as the two sides keep moving the relationship in the right direction, there will be no difficulty or challenge that can’t be overcome,” the Chinese statement quoted the minister as saying.
Four months after the border standoff began early May, Jaishankar and Wang Yi met in Moscow on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting.
Before the bilateral meeting, the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China held an hour-and-half long lunch meeting, which was was hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
A joint statement after the RIC meeting said the ministers exchanged views on further strengthening Russia-India-China trilateral cooperation as well as “topical issues of international and regional importance, in the spirit of mutual understanding, friendship and trust”.
It also said the ministers noted that “common development and cooperation of the three countries is conducive to promoting global growth, peace and stability”.
Recalling their video-conference on June 23 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War and the creation of the United Nations, the statement said the ministers reiterated their “support for inclusive multilateralism” and “respect for universally recognized principles of international law”.
After the RIC meeting, and before heading for the bilateral meeting with Wang, Jaishankar tweeted, “Attended the RIC Foreign Ministers Meeting hosted by FM Lavrov in Moscow. Thank him for his warm hospitality. India takes on the Chair of the RIC process.”
Confirming that the two ministers were meeting in Moscow, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a weekly briefing on Thursday that “both India and China are in regular touch through diplomatic and military channels to resolve the situation… and this was also the consensus when the two defence ministers met.”
“EAM will be meeting the Chinese Foreign Minister shortly, and where he will be discussing this (border) issue… As far as our position goes, Indian side is committed to resolving the current situation on the India-China border through peaceful negotiations,” he added ahead of the bilateral meeting.
The meeting is taking place amid a tense situation on the LAC, following the first incident of firing in 45 years.
This is the second meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia-India-China, or the RIC grouping, since the border stand-off began early May. The last such meeting, held over video-conference on June 23, was the first face-time between Jaishankar and Wang after the Galwan clash.
On June 17, Jaishankar and Wang spoke on the telephone over the June 15 border clash, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
At the RIC meeting in Moscow, the ministers agreed that the three countries, with strong scientific and industrial capacities, could make a significant contribution towards mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The joint statement said that Jaishankar and Wang thanked Lavrov for the chairmanship of RIC and the meetings/conferences organized during the past one year. Lavrov officially handed over the chairmanship of RIC to Jaishankar, it said.