External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar engaged in bilateral discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during the latter’s two-day official visit to India that concluded on Tuesday. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who had invited the Chinese foreign minister for the visit, co-chaired the 24th round of the Special Representatives’ Dialogue on the Boundary Question between India and China with Yi.
Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit.
At the Special Representatives’ Dialogue, held in the national capital, discussions covered a range of issues, including de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs.
Both foreign ministers also discussed bilateral, regional, and international issues of common interest.
India strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, recalling that one of the original objectives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was to counter terrorism.
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Yi concurred that countering terrorism should be given the highest priority.
The SCO summit is scheduled to be held in China later this month.
During the discussions, Jaishankar also underlined India’s concerns regarding the mega dam construction being undertaken by China in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra river), which will have implications for lower riparian states.
He strongly stressed the need for utmost transparency in this regard.
The Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan, to which the Indian side reiterated that there was no change in its position.
It pointed out that, like the rest of the world, India maintains relations with Taiwan focused on economic, technological, and cultural ties.
The Indian side also noted that China itself cooperates with Taiwan in these very domains.
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