China Echoes India’s Tune on Border Issue, Hopes to Find ‘Mutually Acceptable’ Solution Soon – News18

Echoing a message similar to one recently vouched by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, China said on Wednesday that resolving border issues and finding a “mutually acceptable solution” is in the common interest of both neighbours.

During a recent panel discussion, Jaishankar said that the “tension” witnessed during the nearly four-year border row with China in eastern Ladakh has “not served either of us well”. At the ‘Express Adda’ event in New Delhi, he also said that India remains committed to finding a “fair and reasonable outcome” but one that is respectful of agreements and recognises the Line of Actual Control.

In a similar cadence, Chinese Foreign Minister spokesperson Wang Wenbin today said that “it is in the common interest of both China and India to resolve the border issues as early as possible and it is hoped that both sides will soon find a mutually acceptable solution in accordance with the consensus of the leaders of the two countries and the spirit of the relevant agreements and accords.”

Ties between the two countries nose-dived significantly following the clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. India and China recently held a fresh round of high-level military talks to resolve the border issue. Asked about his views on “offers made from the Chinese side in the past” to resolve the border issue, and whether there was any scenario where he could think that this could actually be resolved, the minister Jaishankar on Monday had said, “Any country involved in a boundary dispute negotiating, it has to believe there has to be a solution.”

“I think it is in our common interest that we should not have that many forces on the Line of Actual Control. I think it is in our common interest that we should observe the agreements that we have signed. And, I believe that it is not just in common interest, I believe it is in China’s interest as well. This tension that we have seen for the last four years has not served either of us well,” he said. “So, the sooner we resolve it, I genuinely believe it is good for both of us. I am still very much committed to finding a fair, reasonable outcome. But one which is respectful of agreements recognises the Line of Actual Control and doesn’t seek to change the status quo. That, I think, will be good for both of us,” the minister added.

(With agency inputs)