External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday discussed with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang various challenges in bilateral ties and firmly told him that the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh must be amicably resolved in the large interest of the overall relationship.
At the 45-minute meeting on the margins of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Jaishankar also told Qin that it was necessary to restore peace and tranquility along the border areas.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Jaishankar acknowledged that there were real problems between the two countries that needed to be discussed openly and candidly.
”Met Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of #G20FMM this afternoon. Our discussions were focused on addressing current challenges to the bilateral relationship, especially peace and tranquility in the border areas. We also spoke about the G20 agenda,” Jaishankar tweeted.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders. Qin, a close aide of Chinese President Xi Jinping took charge as China’s Foreign Minister in December last year, replacing Wang Yi, who is now a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and plays a bigger role in the country’s foreign policy.
Meanwhile, addressing the G20 meet, the Chinese Foreign Minister said the grouping must follow the principles of dialogue on an equal footing and consensus-building through consultation. ”Global affairs should be handled by all through discussion. No one should engage in power politics or even bloc confrontation,” he said.
He was of the view that the G20 should promote the sound development of globalisation, reject unilateralism, protectionism and attempts to decouple or sever supply chains, and ensure the stable and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains.