External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Monday pushed for de-escalation along the India-China border and avoidance of trade curbs, stressing the need to ensure that competition does not turn into conflict.
On his first trip to China after bilateral relations went south following the Galwan clash in May 2020, Jaishankar also made out a case for bilateral visits.
Jaishankar is in China to attend the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). He was addressing a bilateral engagement with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
In an apparent reference to ongoing efforts by India to get China to ease export restrictions on rare earth elements — needed for modern technologies such as electric vehicles — Jaishankar urged Beijing to avoid restrictive trade practices.
China imposed export restrictions on rare earth elements in April, leading to a disruption in the supply chain. On ways to improve the relationship, Jaishankar said, “It is also essential in this context that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks are avoided”, indicating that there would be a detailed conversation on this during their talks.
Stating that the bilateral relationship between India and China “requires that we take a far-seeing approach to our ties”, Jaishankar noted that he and Wang had carried out “strategic communication” at various international events over the past few years.
“It is our expectation that this will now be regular and take place in each other’s countries.”
Seemingly satisfied with the progress made in normalising bilateral relations over the past nine months since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in Russia in October 2024 to put the relationship back on track, Jaishankar underscored that this was the result of the resolution of friction along the border.
Late in the evening, Chinese ambassador to India Xu Fiehong quoted his minister as saying at the meeting that "China-India relations have sustained a momentum of improvement and development, which has not come easily and should be cherished with great care".
