India, China Hold Talks on Border Peace and Trade Cooperation

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in New Delhi to discuss steps toward stabilizing relations, with a focus on border peace, trade, and bilateral cooperation.

In a joint effort to move past recent tensions, the ministers held wide-ranging talks covering economic issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people exchanges, river data sharing, and connectivity. Jaishankar called the discussions “productive,” stating that they aimed to establish a “stable, cooperative, and forward-looking” relationship between the two Asian powers.

Wang Yi noted that bilateral exchanges and dialogue were gradually being restored, with ties returning to a cooperative track. According to a Chinese statement, he urged both sides to “set an example for other developing countries” and to view each other as “partners and opportunities, not as rivals or threats.”

Wang’s two-day visit includes the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit also comes days before Modi’s planned trip to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit - his first visit there in seven years.

Jaishankar stressed that resolving the military standoff along the disputed Himalayan border remains a key priority. “Any positive momentum in our ties depends on maintaining peace in border areas,” he said, calling for the withdrawal of troops amassed since the deadly 2020 clash in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.

Relations have seen signs of improvement since October last year, when Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to reduce tensions during talks in Russia.

Both sides appear committed to restarting high-level engagement and restoring trust, signaling a possible turning point in India-China relations after years of strain.