Amid the ongoing tensions over the recent clashes between Indian and Chinese troops at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today said that Beijing was ready to work with India for a steady and sound growth of bilateral ties.

”China and India have maintained communication through diplomatic and military-to-military channels, and both countries are committed to upholding stability in the border areas,” he said at a symposium in Beijing on the international situation and China’s foreign relations.

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His remarks are significant since the military stand-off between the armies of the two countries in eastern Ladakh that started in April-May 2020, has yet not been fully resolved despite umpteen rounds of talks between military commanders and top diplomats of the two countries.

On 9 December, Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh, the first such encounter between the two armies since the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020. A few soldiers on both sides were reportedly injured in the clashes.

Top commanders of the two countries met at Chushul-Moldo meeting point on 20 December for the 17th round of their talks and agreed to maintain security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Minister hailed the achievements made by the BRICS grouping of which both India and China are members, along with Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

”The BRICS countries have projected a resounding voice for global equity and justice, and injected strong BRICS impetus into global economic recovery and development,” Wang said. BRICS, he said, has become the most influential platform for South-South cooperation.

On Beijing’s ties with Islamabad, Wang said; ”China and Pakistan have continued to firmly support each other, uphold the invaluable all-weather strategic partnership, and consolidate the iron-clad friendship.”

The Chinese Foreign Minister rejected what he called a false narrative of “democracy versus authoritarianism”, claiming that its real intention was to stoke confrontation between countries, divide the international community, and interfere in other countries’ internal affairs in the name of so-called “democracy”.

”We have explained to the world how and why our whole-process people’s democracy works in China, upheld the true democratic spirit, promoted a right perception of democracy in a bid to distinguish right from wrong and truth from falsehood. The world does not accept any monopoly on the definition of democracy, and the calls against drawing ideological fault lines.’’