SCO meet: Jaishankar meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing; calls for ‘far-seeing approach’ in India-China ties | India News

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, his first visit to the country in six years, amid signs of improving relations between the two neighbours following years of border tension. Jaishankar was in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting, where he also met his counterpart Wang Yi.“Called on President Xi Jinping this morning in Beijing along with my fellow SCO Foreign Ministers,” Jaishankar wrote on X. “Conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard.”During his bilateral meeting with Wang Yi, Jaishankar said India and China had made “good progress” over the past nine months in normalising relations, attributing it to the resolution of friction along the border and the maintenance of peace and tranquillity. “This is the fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust and for smooth development of bilateral relations. It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation,” he said.Jaishankar emphasised that both countries must continue to build on this positive momentum. “We have earlier agreed that differences should not become disputes, nor should competition ever become conflict,” he said. “Stable and constructive ties between India and China are not only to our benefit, but that of the world as well. This is best done by handling relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.”The minister also raised concerns about China’s export controls that could hurt domestic manufacturing in India. He urged Beijing to avoid “restrictive trade measures and roadblocks” and advocated steps to improve people-to-people ties, such as easing travel, resuming direct flights, and promoting exchanges. “Measures towards normalising our people-to-people exchanges can certainly foster mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.During the SCO meeting, Jaishankar also reiterated India’s stance on terrorism, reminding Wang that the group’s primary mandate was to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. “This is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance for terrorism will be strongly upheld,” he stated, extending India’s support to China’s SCO presidency.He further stressed the need for cooperation on trans-border rivers, including the resumption of hydrological data sharing by China. He welcomed China’s decision to allow the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to resume after a five-year pause, a move agreed upon earlier this year.The visit follows a significant turning point in October 2023, when India and China resolved the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh, clearing the way for Prime Minister Modi and President Xi to meet in Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. That meeting helped restart high-level diplomatic channels, with Modi expected to visit China in September for the SCO summit.