Peace in border areas essential for normal ties with China: Jaishankar

“Received Ambassador Sun Weidong of China for a farewell call. Emphasized that the development of India-China relations is guided by the 3 Mutuals. Peace and tranquility in the border areas is essential,” the External Affairs Minister tweeted. “The normalization of India-China relations is in the interest of both countries, of Asia and the world at large.”

India has been asserting that the China-India ties must be based on three mutuals: mutual sensitivity, mutual respect and mutual interest.

In his farewell remarks, posted on the Chinese embassy website on Tuesday, the Chinese envoy had said, “We should seek common ground while reserving differences and properly handle the differences. China and India are important neighbors to each other. It is only natural for China and India to have some differences. The key is how to handle the differences. We should be aware that the common interests of the two countries are greater than differences.”

“Meanwhile, the two sides should strive to manage and resolve differences, and look for a proper solution through dialogue and consultation, instead of defining China-India relations by differences. The two countries need to respect each other’s political systems and development paths, and uphold the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,” he said.

During this period, the Chinese ambassador had said that China-India relations also experienced “ups and downs”. However, he did not mention the border situation in his remarks directly, and said, “As the Chinese Ambassador to India, I am fully aware of the mission and tasks that I shoulder. I have been committed to my duties and made every effort to strengthen communication, enhance mutual understanding, properly manage differences, try to resolve difficulties and challenges, and promote the improvement and development of our bilateral relations.”

“I believe that, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of our two countries and with the joint efforts of both sides, the bilateral relations will eventually have the clouds cleared and return to the right track,” he had said, in an oblique reference to the border situation.