EAM Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold Bilateral Meeting
China and India should be partners, not adversaries, says Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi
By R Anil Kumar
New Delhi. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a senior Politburo member of the Communist Party of China, arrived in New Delhi on August 18, for a two-day official visit at the invitation of India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval.
The visit comes at a significant moment in India-China relations, given the long-standing complexities surrounding the boundary question and the larger geopolitical situation in Asia.
Soon after his arrival, Wang Yi held a detailed bilateral meeting with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, where the two sides reviewed the state of ties between New Delhi and Beijing and discussed measures to stabilise a relationship that has seen strains in recent years due to the ongoing border stand-off in eastern Ladakh and broader strategic differences in the Indo-Pacific.
Official statements indicated that the talks were not limited to addressing the prevailing tensions but also encompassed bilateral cooperation, regional stability, and coordination within multilateral forums.
The Indian side underscored the importance of peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as the fundamental basis for progress in other dimensions of the relationship.
China, meanwhile, emphasised the need to take Wang Yi’s visit and the upcoming 24th round of meetings between the Special Representatives on the Boundary Question as a platform to strengthen political exchanges, enhance trust, and pursue pragmatic cooperation.
India and China should view each other as “partners” rather than “adversaries or threats”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, as he arrived for a two-day visit to Delhi.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that Beijing is keen to “maintain the momentum of high-level engagements, deepen mutual trust, and properly manage differences” so as to keep bilateral ties on a trajectory of “sustained, healthy, and stable development.”
The visit is also diplomatically significant because it comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to China later this month to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin scheduled between August 31 and September 1.
Analysts suggest that Wang Yi’s discussions in New Delhi serve as a preparatory effort to set the tone for Modi’s engagements in China, where both leaders could potentially explore opportunities for resetting ties, particularly in the context of multilateral cooperation under SCO, BRICS, and other regional frameworks.
During the Wang–Jaishankar meeting, both sides reportedly reaffirmed the need for dialogue to address the unresolved boundary dispute, including mechanisms to reduce friction along contested zones and ensure disengagement at remaining points of military standoff.
India emphasised its concerns over border incidents undermining trust, while China projected its willingness to work within the framework of consensus previously reached by the two countries’ leadership.
Beyond security issues, discussions also touched upon trade and economic cooperation, where both sides acknowledged the importance of expanding commercial partnership while ensuring it was balanced and sustainable.
Diplomatic observers see this engagement not just as a bilateral milestone but also as reflective of the wider geopolitical balancing both nations are attempting. India is seeking to safeguard its sovereignty while keeping channels of dialogue open, whereas China is keen to avoid further deterioration in ties amidst its strained relations with the West and ongoing economic challenges.
Potential Outcomes and Implications for India-China Relations
The latest round of talks between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has the potential to shape not only immediate bilateral exchanges but also the medium-to-long-term trajectory of India-China relations.
While the discussions have conveyed cautious optimism, their real impact will hinge on follow-up actions in three key areas: the border situation, economic engagement, and strategic alignment in multilateral platforms.
- Border Management and Security
The boundary dispute remains the single most important issue in the India-China relationship. A tangible outcome of Wang Yi’s visit could be the reinforcement of the momentum towards stepwise disengagement and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
If the planned 24th round of Special Representatives’ talks achieves substantive progress, it could pave the way for restoring normalcy in troop deployments and reducing the frequency of border incidents. On the other hand, continued stalemate or new flare-ups would negate any goodwill and worsen the trust deficit, limiting the possibilities of broader rapprochement.
- Political Trust and Diplomatic Signalling
Beijing is signalling its intent to stabilise relations at a time when its ties with the West are under stress, while New Delhi is balancing engagement with China against its deepening partnerships with the US, Japan, and Europe.
Greater political communication at the top leadership level, possibly during Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming SCO Summit visit to Tianjin, could help reset the tone of the relationship.
However, political trust is fragile, and unless both sides demonstrate seriousness in implementing agreements on the ground, rhetoric may outpace reality.
- Economic Cooperation and Strategic Competition
Economically, China remains one of India’s largest trading partners, but the relationship is heavily skewed in Beijing’s favour, with India pushing for greater market access for its industries.
Wang Yi’s visit could open doors for enhanced economic dialogue, particularly in areas like technology, green energy, and infrastructure. However, security concerns over Chinese investments in sensitive sectors, coupled with supply chain diversification efforts by India, mean economic ties may remain constrained by strategic caution.
- Multilateral Forums and Regional Cooperation
Both nations are members of key multilateral platforms such as SCO, BRICS, and the G20, and Wang Yi’s visit may rejuvenate coordination at these fora. If India and China can find common ground on issues like global governance reform, climate change, and regional security in Afghanistan and Central Asia, it could expand their cooperative agenda. Yet, their competing ambitions in the Indo-Pacific—India’s proximity to the US-led initiatives and China’s assertive Belt and Road outreach—could restrict deeper alignment.
- Implications for the Wider Geopolitical Landscape
The outcomes of this visit will reverberate beyond bilateral ties, influencing regional stability and global power dynamics. A more stable Beijing-New Delhi relationship could reduce flashpoints in Asia and enhance the scope for Asian-led cooperative frameworks.
Conversely, failure to address core disputes would perpetuate a cycle of mistrust, drawing India closer to US and Quad partners while pushing China toward consolidating its bloc with Russia and Pakistan.
Summary of Opportunities and Risks
Opportunities: Restarting dialogue mechanisms, advancing LAC disengagement, preparing ground for Modi’s SCO visit, enhancing trade balance discussions, and projecting shared responsibility as rising Asian powers.
Risks: Fragile trust, border flare-ups undermining political agreements, economic imbalances leading to friction, and multilateral competition spilling over into bilateral tensions.
In conclusion, Wang Yi’s visit is a diplomatic inflection point — it may either lay the foundation for gradual stabilization of India-China ties or become another symbolic engagement if practical steps fail to materialize. The world will be watching closely whether the two neighbours can transition from managing crises to managing cooperation.
The outcome of these meetings, in combination with Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit, will be closely watched as a test of whether the world’s two most populous nations can manage competition and disagreement while exploring areas of cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world.
China and India should be partners, not adversaries, says foreign minister Wang Yi
India and China should view each other as “partners” rather than “adversaries or threats”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said as he arrived for a two-day visit to Delhi.
Yi met with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar – only the second such meeting between the two sides since 2020 – when deadly clashes in the Galwan valley in Ladakh, a disputed Himalayan border region, led to a complete breakdown of ties between the countries.
Relations are now on a “positive trend” towards cooperation, Yi said ahead of a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 19 August.
Jaishankar said that India and China were seeking to “move ahead from a difficult period in our ties”.
The two counterparts held discussions on a range of bilateral issues from trade to pilgrimages and river data sharing.
Yi also met India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday for on-going negotiations on resolving the boundary dispute between the two countries.
“We are happy to share that stability has now been restored at the borders,” Yi said during the delegation-level meeting with Doval.
“The setbacks that we faced in the last few years were not in our interest,” he said.
Yi’s visit is being seen as the latest sign of a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
India and China had agreed on patrolling arrangements to de-escalate tensions along the disputed Himalayan border in October last year.
Since then, the two sides have taken a range of steps to normalise relations, including China allowing Indian pilgrims to visit key places in the Tibet autonomous region this year. India has also restarted visa services to Chinese tourists and agreed to resume talks to open border trade through designated passes.
There are also Reports that direct flights between the two countries will resume this year.
Yi’s meetings are expected to lay the groundwork for Modi’s first visit to China in seven years later this month, to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional security bloc.
Reports suggest Modi might also hold bilateral talks with China’s President Xi Jinping, but neither side has confirmed this.
The rapprochement between the countries comes in the backdrop of India’s worsening bilateral relationship with the US.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% penalty on Indian imports for buying oil and weapons from Russia, taking total tariffs to 50% – the highest in Asia.
In his remarks after meeting with Yi on Jaishankar said talks would include global developments.
“We seek a fair, balanced and multi-polar world order, including a multipolar Asia,” Jaishankar said.
Reformed multilateralism is also the call of the day. In the current environment, there is clearly the imperative of maintaining and enhancing stability in the global economy as well,” he added.
