NEW DELHI – Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday in Laos, where the two leaders committed to resolving border disputes with increased urgency.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Laos, marking their second encounter in three weeks, following a recent meeting in Kazakhstan. The discussions focused on the long-standing border issues between the two countries, which share a lengthy Himalayan border, much of which remains poorly demarcated.
Relations between India and China have been strained since a violent military clash in July 2020, which resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops. Since then, both nations have fortified their positions and deployed additional troops and equipment along the disputed border.
“Agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process. Must ensure full respect for the LAC (Line of Actual Control) and past agreements,” Jaishankar stated in a post on X.
After their previous meeting in Kazakhstan, Wang emphasized the importance of managing and controlling the situation in the border areas while resuming normal exchanges in other spheres. India’s foreign ministry released a statement underscoring that both ministers recognized the necessity to work with “purpose and urgency to achieve complete disengagement at the earliest.”
“The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties,” Jaishankar added.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors have had an uneasy relationship for decades, with tensions dating back to a bloody border war in 1962. The recent efforts to address and resolve the border disputes reflect a significant step towards stabilizing and improving bilateral relations.