India, China discuss ways to move ties to ‘predictable path’ Today World News

Gourangalal Das (in picture), joint secretary in the MEA’s East Asia division, met Liu Jinsong, director-general at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s department of Asian affairs, in Beijing on March 26, 2025. Photo: YouTube/@modaTAIWAN

India and China on Wednesday (March 26, 2025) explored ways to rebuild ties and agreed to initiate efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges, including arrangements for resumption of direct flights and resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra this year.

In a meeting in Beijing, the two sides also discussed resumption of dialogue mechanisms in a “step-by-step” manner to utilise them to address each other’s priority areas of interest and concern and move the relations to a “more stable and predictable path”, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following the Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.

The meeting was held between Gourangalal Das, the joint secretary in the MEA’s East Asia division, and Liu Jinsong, the director general at the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s department of Asian affairs.

The MEA said the two sides also made further progress on the modalities to resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra this year.

It said the two sides took positive note of the developments in bilateral relations since the meeting of the leaders of India and China in October 2024.

“In the intervening period, the Foreign Ministers have met twice, while the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question have held their 23rd meeting,” the MEA said.

“These high-level meetings have provided strategic guidance to stabilise and further develop relations,” it said in a statement.

In December, NSA Ajit Doval travelled to Beijing and held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question.

The decision to revive the SR mechanism and other such dialogue formats was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024.

The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.

In January 2025, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Beijing and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong.

In the meeting, the two sides decided to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and agreed to take certain people-centric steps to “stabilise and rebuild” ties.

The Wednesday (March 26, 2025) talks between Mr. Das and Mr. Liu came a day after India and China held diplomatic talks under the framework of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) in Beijing.

Mr. Das led the Indian delegation at the WMCC meeting.

“In today’s meeting, the two sides reviewed the action taken by them to implement the strategic direction as also the specific steps agreed in the meeting between the foreign secretary and Chinese vice foreign minister in January to stabilise and rebuild ties,” the MEA said in the statement.

“They agreed to continue efforts to further facilitate and promote people-to-people exchanges, including arrangements for resumption of direct flights, interaction of media and think-tanks, and celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,” it said.

“The two sides have made further progress on the modalities to resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra in 2025,” the MEA said.

It said the two sides took stock of the planned exchanges and activities this year.

“They discussed resumption of dialogue mechanisms in a step-by-step manner to utilise them to address each other’s priority areas of interest and concern and move relations on to a more stable and predictable path,” the MEA added.

In the WMCC dialogue on Tuesday (March 25, 2025) India and China focused on ensuring effective border management and early resumption of cross-border cooperation and exchanges including on trans-border rivers and Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.