S Jaishankar, Chinese FM hold talks, focus on resolving border issue

In a tweet after the around hour-long talks, Jaishankar said that the two sides also discussed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the G20, and BRICS.

“A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS," the tweet read.

On March 2, during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Jaishankar had conveyed that the state of the bilateral relations was “abnormal” and beset by “real problems that need to be looked at”, especially the issue of peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Thursday's meeting between the two foreign ministers comes a month after India had rejected outright China’s attempt at “renaming” 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing calls southern Tibet, and stated that Arunachal Pradesh is an inalienable part of India.

The reaction had come after China published a third set of names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet".

The meeting between EAM and FM Qin also comes days after the April 27 meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Chinese counterpart General Li Shangfu in New Delhi during which Singh categorically conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the development of relations between India and China is premised on the prevalence of peace and tranquillity at the borders.

State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of China General Li Shangfu was in New Delhi for the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting.

The two Ministers had held frank discussions about the developments in the India-China border areas and bilateral relations.

Rajnath Singh had also said that “all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments”, and that "violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations".

[With UNI inputs]