India-China Relations: Chinese Foreign Minister Says Commonalities Far Outweigh Differences

Last month, India and China had reaffirmed that military and diplomatic officials of the two sides should continue their discussions to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. 

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New Delhi: During a virtual farewell call by Indian Ambassador Vikram Misri, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the commonalities far outweighed differences in India-China bilateral relations.

“He shared his belief that commonalities far outweighed differences in bilateral relations and expressed confidence that our relations would be able to make progress in future”: Embassy of India in Beijing stated, as reported by news agency ANI.

Meanwhile, during the virtual meeting, Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri told Wang Yi: “Our relations comprised both opportunities and challenges and even though certain challenges since last year had overpowered the vast opportunities in the relationship”.

“With continued communication at all levels, two sides would be able to resolve the current difficulties and take the relationship forward in a positive direction,” he added.

India and China's bilateral relations took a serious hit as tensions along LAC sparked the ongoing standoff between Chinese and Indian troops in mid-May 2020, which lasted through the winter.

The standoff escalated on June 15, 2020, after a skirmish ensued in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh between the Indian Army and PLA troops which resulted in casualties on both sides, including the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers.

Last month, at the 23rd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), both countries reaffirmed that the military and diplomatic officials of the two sides should continue their discussions to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. 

As per the official statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, India and China agreed on the need to find an early resolution to the remaining issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh while fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols so as to restore peace and tranquility. 

Furthermore, the two sides also agreed that they should in the interim also continue to ensure a stable ground situation and avoid any untoward incident.

“It was agreed that both sides should hold the next (14th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all the friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols,” the MEA had stated.

(With Agency Inputs)