In a significant diplomatic engagement aimed at restoring normalcy in bilateral relations, India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Monday, marking his first visit to China since the deadly border clash in 2020 that resulted in a prolonged military standoff.

During the talks, Jaishankar underscored the necessity of resolving lingering border tensions and emphasized that the avoidance of restrictive trade measures is vital for fostering mutually beneficial cooperation between the two Asian giants.

The minister highlighted that the "good progress" achieved over the past nine months in normalizing relations was largely due to steps taken to address friction along the disputed 3,800 km border, which has been a source of contention since the 1950s and was the site of a brief war in 1962.

Jaishankar's visit comes in the backdrop of renewed efforts by both countries to seek a permanent resolution to the border dispute, with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently urging his Chinese counterpart for a conclusive outcome.

The Indian minister stressed that, beyond troop pullbacks and de-escalation, it is equally critical to avoid trade restrictions and roadblocks, particularly as Beijing has recently imposed curbs on exports of critical minerals such as rare earth magnets and high-tech manufacturing machinery.

These measures have raised concerns in India, which, despite holding the world's fifth-largest rare earth reserves, has yet to fully develop its domestic production capabilities.

The talks also saw Jaishankar meeting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who, according to China's official Xinhua news agency, called for both countries to advance practical cooperation and respect each other's core concerns.

While there was no immediate official Chinese readout of the discussions between Jaishankar and Wang, the diplomatic exchanges signal a cautious but deliberate effort by both sides to move past the military standoff and address broader issues affecting bilateral ties, including trade and regional cooperation.

Jaishankar is in China to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's foreign ministers' meeting, providing an additional platform for dialogue on regional security and economic collaboration. The outcome of these engagements will be closely watched as both countries seek to balance strategic competition with the imperative for stability and economic partnership.

Based On A Reuters Report