NEW DELHI: The foreign ministers of India and China discussed bilateral “challenges” on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, India said.

“Our discussions were focused on addressing current challenges to the bilateral relationship, especially peace and tranquillity in the border areas,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Twitter after meeting his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang.

According to Al Arabia news, Jaishankar told reporters that “there are real problems in that relationship that need to be looked at, that need to be discussed very openly and candidly between us”. He added, “That’s what we sought to do today.”

Qin, who is in India for the G20 meeting, met Jaishankar a day after Chinese foreign spokesperson Mao Ning said, “China attaches great importance to India”, The Washington Post reported.

“The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation”, Ning said on Thursday during a news briefing. She urged that maintaining good ties between the two countries is fundamental to their interests.

“We look forward to working with fellow G20 members to stay committed to solidarity and cooperation, focus on its mandate and main function, and play a bigger role in addressing major global economic and financial challenges, bringing about a stable global economic recovery and promoting global development”, she added.

Relations between the Asian giants have soured since hand-to-hand combat and scuffles between border troops first broke out in 2020.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2023