NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrah­manyam Jaish­an­kar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday in Kazakhstan where the two agreed to step up talks to resolve issues along their border, New Delhi said in a statement.

India and China share a long Himalayan border, much of it poorly demarcated, and bilateral ties have been sour since a military standoff in July 2020 when at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed.

India said Jaishankar met Wang on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organi­sa­t­ion summit in Astana where they agreed that “prolongation of the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side”.

The two agreed to enhance meetings betw­een their diplomatic and military officials “to resolve the remaining issues at the earliest,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.

China and India should properly handle their differences and ensure relations advance on a stable track, a Chinese foreign ministry statement quoted Wang as saying during the talks. “We must maintain a positive mindset, properly handle and control the situation in the border areas on the one hand, and actively resume normal exchanges on the other hand,” Wang said.

“He (Jaishankar) reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two governments in the past,” New Delhi’s statement said.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2024