China, India agree to uphold ties

China and India have stepped up efforts to stabilize their relationship, as senior diplomats from both countries pledged to improve strategic perceptions, enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation and seek progress on the long-standing boundary question — moves that analysts said could inject greater stability into Asia and beyond.

On Tuesday in New Delhi, the capital of India, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is on his first trip to the country since 2022, cochaired with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval the 24th Round of Talks Between the Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting in Kazan, Russia, in October, has charted a clear course for improving bilateral ties and properly handling the boundary question.

Since the start of this year, he noted, bilateral relations have entered a steady development track, and the situation along the border has continued to stabilize.

Wang stressed that a sound and stable relationship between the two major neighbors serves the fundamental interests of their peoples and meets the common expectations of developing countries.

"Mutual trust and support for each other should be the natural state of relations between two major emerging countries," he said, urging both sides to build consensus, properly resolve specific issues, and create favorable conditions for the further improvement of ties.

Doval said that amid global turbulence, India and China face common challenges, making it essential to deepen understanding, strengthen trust and enhance cooperation — not only for their peoples' benefit but also for global peace and development.

India stands ready to maintain pragmatic and constructive dialogue with China and to create conditions for a final settlement of the boundary question, he added.

As this year marks the 75th anniversary of bilateral ties between the two countries, Doval said that Indian Prime Minister Modi looks forward to visiting China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, which he believes will inject fresh impetus into the relationship. Wang said that China values Modi's participation and expects India to make positive contributions to the success of the summit, which will be held from Aug 31 to Sept 1.

The latest talks followed the 23rd round held in December in Beijing, during which both sides reached several common understandings on delimitation negotiations, border management, mechanism building and cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

On Tuesday, both sides discussed early harvests in boundary negotiations and agreed to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution. They also pledged to strengthen normalized border management, jointly maintain peace and tranquility in border areas and hold the 25th round of talks in China next year.

Following the 24th round of talks with Doval, Wang met with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Broadening cooperation

Wang also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday. Wang called for broadening cooperation to provide "the most needed certainty and stability" for Asia and the world and called for both countries to "view each other as partners and opportunities rather than rivals or threats".

Jaishankar said a stable, cooperative and forward-looking bilateral relationship serves both countries' interests. He expressed India's readiness to strengthen coordination with China under BRICS and other multilateral frameworks.

Noting the positive trend in bilateral ties, Lin Minwang, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, said there is still considerable room for cooperation in such fields as people-to-people exchanges and bilateral trade and investment.

"If India demonstrates genuine goodwill, the relationship could see significant improvement," he said.

As Wang's visit came as the United States ratcheted up tariffs on Indian goods, Lin said the US' unilateral bullying acts have increasingly led New Delhi to find greater common ground with Beijing on opposition to unilateralism and protectionism. Furthermore, cooperation between the two largest developing countries in the world also helps contribute to building a multipolar world and more democratic international relations, Lin added.

Wang is scheduled to conclude his visit to India on Wednesday before traveling to Pakistan for a three-day trip. He will hold the sixth round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn