Astana:

India and China on Thursday agreed to step up efforts to resolve the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting that the Line of Actual Control (LAC) must be respected and ensuring peace along the border is essential.

In talks he held with Wang on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this Kazakh capital city, Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s persistent view that the relations between the two sides must be based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.

The external affairs minister highlighted the need to redouble efforts to achieve “complete disengagement” from the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh and restore peace and tranquillity to remove obstacles towards the return of normalcy in the ties.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two ministers “had an in-depth exchange of views on finding an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh to stabilise and rebuild bilateral relations.” 

Jaishankar also underlined the need for fully abiding by the relevant bilateral pacts and protocols reached between the two sides in the past for management of the border.

“Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi in Astana this morning. Discussed early resolution of remaining issues in border areas. Agreed to redouble efforts through diplomatic and military channels to that end,” Jaishankar said on ‘X’.

“Respecting the LAC and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas is essential. The three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest – will guide our bilateral ties,” he said.

Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi in Astana this morning.

Discussed early resolution of remaining issues in border areas. Agreed to redouble efforts through diplomatic and military channels to that end.

Respecting the LAC and ensuring peace and tranquility in the… pic.twitter.com/kR3pSFViGX

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 4, 2024

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

“Both Ministers agreed to continue and step up meetings of the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides to take forward their discussions to resolve the remaining issues at the earliest,” the MEA said.

“To that end, they agreed that the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) should hold an early meeting,” it said.

It said the two ministers agreed that the “prolongation” of the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side.

“The external affairs minister highlighted the need to redouble efforts to achieve complete disengagement from the remaining areas in eastern Ladakh and restore border peace and tranquillity in order to remove obstacles towards return of normalcy in bilateral relations,” the MEA said.

“He reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and understandings reached between the two Governments in the past. The Line of Actual Control must be respected and peace and tranquillity in the border areas always enforced,” it said.

The Jaishankar-Wang talks came amid the dragging border row in eastern Ladakh that entered its fifth year in May.

“The two Ministers also exchanged views on the global situation. The external affairs minister extended to FM Wang Yi India’s support for China’s Presidency of SCO next year,” the MEA said.

According to rough translation of a statement issued in Beijing, Wang said the two sides should view bilateral relations from a strategic height, strengthen communication, properly handle differences, and ensure that China-India relations develop along a healthy and stable track.

“We are willing to follow the series of important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, respect each other, understand each other, trust each other…and explore the correct way for the two major neighbours to get along,” he said.

“We must adhere to positive thinking, on the one hand properly handle and control the situation in the border area, on the other hand actively resume normal exchanges, promote each other and meet each other halfway,” he added.

Stressing that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Wang said both sides have the responsibility and obligation to inherit and carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and inject new contemporary connotations into them.

“Both China and India are countries in the Global South, and we should work together to oppose unilateral bullying, resist the division of camps, uphold the common interests of developing countries, and make due contributions to regional and world peace and stability,” he added.

The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved though the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points.

The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

The two sides have so far held 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the standoff.

India has been pressing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas.

The two sides held the last round of high-level military talks in February.

Though there was no indication of a breakthrough at the 21st round of talks, both sides agreed to maintain “peace and tranquility” on the ground and continue the communication on the way ahead.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 26, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing and said China and the U.S. should be partners rather than rivals and should help each other succeed rather than hurt each other.

“This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Over the past 45 years, the relationship has gone through wind and rain, and the two sides can draw a few important lessons: China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals; help each other succeed rather than hurt each other; seek common ground and reserve differences rather than engage in vicious competition; and honour words with actions rather than say one thing but do another,” President Xi Jinping was quoted saying by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

Mr. Xi said China is happy to see a prosperous and thriving U.S. and he hopes that the U.S. can also look at China’s development in a positive light. “I’ve said many times before that the planet is big enough to accommodate the common development and respective prosperity of China and the U.S. China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous and thriving U.S. We hope the U.S. can also look at China’s development in a positive light. This is a fundamental issue that must be addressed,” President Xi said.

He said China is willing to cooperate, but cooperation should be a two-way street and China is not afraid of competition, but competition should be about progress together instead of playing a zero-sum game. “China is committed to non-alliance, and the U.S. should not create small blocs. While each side can have its friends and partners, it should not target, oppose or harm the other.”

Mr. Xi said the Chinese saying “no progress means regress” applies to China-U.S. relations too. He said the stabilising trend in the China-U.S. relations did not come by easily and it is hoped that the two teams will continue working actively to follow through on the San Francisco vision he and President Joe Biden reached, so as to truly stabilise, improve and move forward the bilateral relations.

(The correspondent is in China at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy Association.)

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, meets with Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong at Parliament House in Canberra, on March 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

China and Australia claimed to have stabilised long-strained relations after talks in Canberra on Wednesday, despite evident tensions over a high-profile prisoner, trade and a new crackdown in Hong Kong.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Australia for the first time since 2017, a trip designed to draw a line under disputes related to everything from the origins of Covid-19 to military deployments.

The meeting was framed by warm words, with Wang saying the two sides had “broken the ice”, and that “mutual trust” and “good momentum” were slowly building.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong praised renewed “stability” in relations and said it was crucial to recognise “how much progress we have made in a short period of time”.

There was even a tacit commitment to extending the Australian sojourn of two giant pandas loaned by China in 2009 — a favourite tool of Beijing diplomacy.

But years of tensions and a fundamental disagreement about the shape of the Asia-Pacific region could not be papered over.

“We discussed the sentencing of Dr Yang Hengjun. I told the foreign minister Australians were shocked at the sentence imposed,” Wong told reporters after the meeting.

Jailed Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun — also known as Yang Jun — was in February handed a suspended death sentence after a Beijing court found him guilty of espionage.

He vehemently denies the charges.

Wong also raised concerns about human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, where pro-Beijing lawmakers on Tuesday passed national security reforms that will further criminalise dissent.

An Australian foreign ministry official said Wong had warned the reforms would “further erode rights and freedoms”, breach international commitments and have “far-reaching impacts, including on individuals in Australia”.

The remarks are unlikely to have gone down well with Wong’s Chinese guest.

Beijing has described similar criticism from Britain, the United States and the European Union as “slandering and smearing”.

As the foreign ministers met, protesters gathered on the lawns of Australia’s parliament, drawing attention to alleged human rights abuses within China.

A small group of demonstrators later clashed with police outside the Chinese embassy, brandishing Tibetan flags and shouting “free Tibet” as they rushed towards the building’s front gates.

Trade restrictions

Australia’s relationship with China began unravelling in 2018, when Canberra excluded telecommunications giant Huawei from its 5G network on security grounds and later passed laws on foreign interference.

Then in 2020, Australia called for an international investigation into the origins of Covid-19 — an action China saw as politically motivated.

In response, Beijing slapped trade restrictions on a slew of Australian exports, including barley, beef and wine, while halting its coal imports.

Most of those barriers have been gradually wound back as relations have been repaired.

Wang said a final decision on ending wine tariffs would be made at the end of the month, signalling restrictions could soon be lifted.

Before the trade restrictions were imposed, China was the largest destination for Australian bottled wine — accounting for 33% of export revenue in 2020, according to Australian government data.

Wong said the talks had also touched on the global nickel market, which has been upended by a surge in exports from Indonesia — enabled by massive Chinese investments and a revolution in refining techniques.

Prices have fallen about 40% in the past year alone, prompting many once-dominant Australian firms to rethink projects or write down the value of their assets.

Wang later told an Australia-China business council that common interests between the two countries far outweigh their differences.

“China is Australia’s largest trading partner and the biggest customer for our products like iron ore”, said Rio Tinto mining executive and meeting participant Simon Trott, welcoming a “stabilisation” of relations.

China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi meets his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, on March 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said March 18 that his country is ready to work with New Zealand to deepen trade and economic ties and address climate change.

Mr. Wang met his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, at the start of a tour that will also include Australia.

China is willing to hold talks on reducing barriers to investment in the service sector “at an early time” and build new drivers of economic growth with New Zealand in the digital economy and through technological innovation, Wang said, according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.

Mr. Peters, who is also deputy prime minister, met Wang in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. “There have been some significant developments since we last met, not least a global pandemic that impacted both our countries,” he said in his opening comments in their formal meeting at New Zealand’s parliament house. “Today is a valuable opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that are now before us,” he said.

Mr. Wang is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the country since his previous visit in 2017. He called for creating better conditions for exchanges including education, tourism and youth programmes, citing the example of Rewi Alley, a 20th-century New Zealander who was a member of China’s Communist Party.

New Zealand has had strong economic ties with China in recent years and was the first developed country to sign a bilateral free trade deal with Beijing in 2008. The two countries expanded that trade agreement in 2022.

Mr. Wang also had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on March 18 and also is to meet Trade Minister Todd McClay while in Wellington.

Wang’s Australia trip

Mr. Wang will arrive in Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday to meet with counterpart Penny Wong, with talks between them expected to include the case of detained Australian Yang Hengjun.

It will be the first time the two foreign ministers have met face-to-face since Yang Hengjun was found guilty of espionage in a closed trial and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in February.

Also on the agenda will be the removal of the last remaining trade tariffs that were imposed by China in 2020 and were widely regarded as punishment for the previous Australian government’s passage of laws that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics, for barring Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out Australia’s 5G network due to security concerns and for calling for an independent investigation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The trade tariffs cost Australia’s economy an estimated 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion), but have since been wound back on most goods except wine, rock lobsters and some abattoirs.

The image of Chinese President Xi Jinping is displayed on a big screen during the closing session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in Beijing, on March 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

China’s national congress is wrapping up its annual session on March 11 with the usual show of near-unanimous support for plans designed to carry out ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s vision for the nation.

This year’s weeklong event, replete with meetings carefully scripted to allow no surprises, has highlighted how China’s politics have become ever more calibrated to elevate Xi Jinping.

Monday’s [March 11] agenda is lacking the usual closing news conference by the premier, who in the past was responsible for economic affairs as the party’s No. 2 leader — the one time each year when journalists could directly question a top leader.

The annual news conferences have been held most years since 1988, and the decision to scrap the event emphasises Li Qiang’s relatively weak status. Past premiers have played a much larger role in leading key economic policies such as modernising state enterprises, coping with economic crises and leading housing reforms that transformed China into a nation of homeowners.

A key item due to be put for a ritual vote on Monday are revisions of the “Organic Law of the State Council,” China’s version of a Cabinet, that direct it to follow Mr. Xi’s vision.

“The Communist Party always called the shots but the party leaders who ran the State Council used to have a much freer hand in setting economic policy,” Neil Thomas, a Chinese politics fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said in an emailed comment.

“Xi has been astonishingly successful in consolidating his personal hold over the party, which has allowed him to become the key decisionmaker in all policy domains,” Mr. Thomas said.

In foreign policy, China appears to be sticking with Wang Yi as Foreign Minister who stepped back into the post last summer after his successor Qin Gang was abruptly dismissed without explanation after a half year on the job.

Analysts thought that the Communist Party might use the annual congress to appoint a new Foreign Minister and close the book on an unusual spate of political mishaps last year that also saw the firing of a new Defence Minister after a few months on the job.

The Organic Law of the State Council is being revised for the first time since it was adopted in 1982. The revision calls for the State Council, above all, to “uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China.” It also adds the governor of China’s Central bank as a Ministerial post.

Echoing words seen in just about every proposal, law or speech made in China these days, it spells out that China’s highest governing officials must adhere to the party’s guiding ideology, which refers back to Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought and culminates in Mr. Xi’s philosophy on “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.” As Mr. Xi’s government champions innovation and self-reliance in technology as ways to build a modern, wealthy economy, it is leaning heavily on more overtly communist ideology that harkens back to past eras.

Mr. Xi has fortified the party’s role across the spectrum, from culture and education to corporate management and economic planning, a potentially risky strategy. The “benefits may be outweighed by the costs of stifling political discussion, disincentivising local innovation and more policy shifts,” Mr. Thomas said.

During this year’s congress, many provincial meetings were opened to the media for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, though they were carefully scripted with speeches and other prepared remarks and none of the spontaneity once glimpsed in real group discussions on the sidelines of the meetings in decades past.

“The contrast with polarised politics in the U.S. and robust debate in other democracies could not be more stark: China’s political rituals, void of any overt dissent, put unity of opinion above all.”

Marching orders endorsed by the congress include calls to ensure national security and social stability, at a time when job losses and underpayment of wages have sparked rising numbers of protests.

Along with following “the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought” and other party directives, developing “new quality productive forces” — a term coined by Mr. Xi last September — emerged as a new catchphrase at this year’s congress.

The term suggests prioritising building self-reliance in science and technology as China confronts trade sanctions and curbs on access to advanced know-how in computer chips and other areas the U.S. and other countries deem to be national security risks.

Beijing:

The U.S. is clinging to wrong perceptions of China and has yet to fulfil its “promises” despite some progress since presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met last November, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, Wang said exchanges between both countries can only continue if both sides respect and recognize their differences.

“It has to be pointed out that the U.S. side’s erroneous perception of China continues, and the promises it has made have not really been fulfilled,” Wang said at the National People’s Congress.

“The methods of suppressing China are constantly being renewed, and the list of unilateral sanctions is constantly being extended,” he said.

The “crimes” the U.S. wanted to add to the list China had supposedly committed “have reached an unbelievable level,” Wang said.

Still, Biden had made it clear the U.S. would not seek a new Cold War nor seek to change the Chinese system or back Taiwan’s independence, Wang said.

In an annual and wide-ranging discussion, Wang struck a relatively measured tone as he also covered relations with Russia and the Ukraine conflict, Europe, China’s stuttering economy and artificial intelligence.

Wang said China would submit a draft resolution on AI to the United Nations General Assembly, reflecting the need for both development and security.

“AI should always be under the control of human beings,” he said.

UNEASY DETENTE

Tensions between the two superpowers have slightly eased since Biden and Xi staged their landmark summit in San Francisco last November, but they remain in an uneasy detente ahead of the U.S. election this year which could see Republican China hawk Donald Trump return to the White House.

Washington has repeatedly stated its desire to put a floor under the relationship after it spiralled to its worst in decades last year over issues including Taiwan, tech competition, trade and an alleged Chinese spy balloon shot down by the U.S. off its east coast.

China alleges the U.S. is trying to contain and suppress its high-tech development and industrial policy, while both militaries eye each other closely amid increased deployments across East Asia.

“So we urge the U.S. to understand the historical development trend, objectively and rationally look at China’s development (and) actively and pragmatically carry out interactions with China.”

Beijing also faces ongoing geopolitical confrontations on multiple fronts, including with Europe on trade and the Ukraine war, Japan across a variety of issues, as well as the Philippines over the South China Sea, a regional hotbed of competing territorial claims.

Wang said China is willing to work with Russia to foster new drivers of cooperation and consolidate friendship.

China and Russia had declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.

Wang also announced an expansion of its visa-free travel scheme, saying that China will offer visa-free travel to nationals from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg from March 14.

China currently has a mutual visa waiver agreement with 22 countries, including most recently Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

China has also unilaterally allowed visa-free entry for citizens from nations such as Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy for 15 days. Those five European nations have yet to reciprocate with a similar arrangement for Chinese citizens.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held wide-ranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on October 27.
| Photo Credit: AP

President Joe Biden has emphasised that the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication as he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of a potential meeting with President Xi Jinping next month to reset bilateral ties.

President Biden met Wang at the White House on October 27 after the top Chinese diplomat held wide-ranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Wang’s visit is expected to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Mr. Biden and Chinese President Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco in mid-November.

“The President emphasised that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication. He underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting between Mr. Biden and Wang.

Mr. Sullivan and Wang had candid, constructive, and substantive discussions on key issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, the Israel-Hamas conflict, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and cross-Strait issues, among other topics, said the National Security Council in a readout of the meeting.

During the meeting, Mr. Sullivan discussed concerns over China’s dangerous and unlawful actions in the South China Sea. He raised the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Also read: View From India | Dispute in the South China Sea

China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force. China has been conducting provocative military exercises around the self-ruled island.

“The two sides reaffirmed their desire to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level diplomacy, including working together towards a meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November,” said the readout.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Mr. Blinken and Wang discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including addressing areas of difference as well as exploring areas of cooperation.

“The Secretary reiterated that the United States will continue to stand up for our interests and values and those of our allies and partners,” he said.

The relationship between the world’s two largest economies began to deteriorate during the Trump administration. In 2018, former President Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum that would impose retaliatory tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese imports.

The U.S. and China have one of the world’s most important and complex bilateral relationships. Since 1949, the countries have experienced periods of both tension and cooperation over issues including trade, climate change, the South China Sea, Taiwan and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Biden administration has sought to re-establish normal diplomatic ties with China after an incredibly fraught period, most notably over the Chinese surveillance balloon incident in February.

Washington:

China’s top diplomat voiced hope Thursday for more stable relations with the United States after months of turbulence as he paid a rare trip to Washington to prepare a potential visit by President Xi Jinping.

President Joe Biden has invited Xi to San Francisco to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, but he has also stood firm on China in the run-up, keeping up a stream of targeted sanctions and staunchly backing US allies in disputes with Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began by meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who told his guest that he looked forward to “constructive conversations” that will include a dinner and more formal talks.

Wang told Blinken, who paid a visit to Beijing in June, that China wanted to “reduce misunderstanding.”

“We seek to expand cooperation that will benefit both sides so that we can stabilize US-China relations and return them to the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development,” Wang said.

Acknowledging that differences will still come up, Wang said that China hoped to respond “calmly, because we are of the view that what is right and what is wrong is not determined by who has the stronger arm or the louder voice.”

On Friday, Wang will speak at the White House with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. No meeting has been announced with Biden, but an encounter is widely expected after Xi received Blinken in Beijing.

US officials have repeatedly spoken of creating “guardrails” with China to prevent worst-case scenarios and have sought, without success, to restore contact between the two militaries.

“We’re going to compete with China (in) every way according to the international rules — economically, politically, in other ways. But I’m not looking for conflict,” Biden said Wednesday as he welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Biden also warned China of US treaty obligations to the Philippines, which said that Chinese vessels deliberately hit Manila’s boats in dispute-rife waters — an account contested by Beijing.

Tensions have been particularly high over Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy claimed by Beijing which over the past year has launched major military exercises in response to actions by US lawmakers.

China’s defense ministry on Thursday accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of pushing the island toward a “dangerous situation of war.”

– What are ‘stable’ ties? –

Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, said Wang will likely seek assurances that the Biden administration will not “embarrass” Xi if he comes to San Francisco, either through harsh new policies or public comments.

“They would like to have a smooth glide path and then a smooth exit from the meeting,” he said.

Daly said the two powers had very different views on what “stable” ties mean, with the United States having no intention of changing course from viewing China as a threat and applying pressure.

“By stabilization, we mean that we want to be able to do that without greatly increasing the chance of conflict,” Daly said.

“The Chinese view is that stabilization would mean America ceasing this relentless stream of provocations and insults such that China is free to focus on its extremely weak domestic economy,” he said.

The Biden administration in recent months has tightened export curbs on chips to China, stepped up military support for Taiwan and issued sanctions targeting individual Chinese over support for Iran’s drone program and over production of chemicals that make fentanyl, the painkiller behind an addiction epidemic in the United States.

Biden has also championed alliances in the face of China’s rise. He has forged a new three-way military alliance with Australia and Britain and promoted the “Quad” with Australia, India and Japan.

The United States and China have also traded barbs over the conflict in the Middle East, where Biden has been Israel’s foremost ally.

The diplomacy with China comes as the United States enters an election season in which Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House, has made hawkish criticism of Beijing a signature policy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Beijing:

China has asked Bhutan to establish diplomatic ties with it and resolve the boundary issue “as soon as possible” to transform the relations between the two neighbours into “legal form”.

Bhutanese Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji who is currently visiting Beijing to take part in the boundary talks between the two countries met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday during which Wang said restoration of diplomatic ties will serve the long-term interests of both countries, a Foreign Ministry press release here said.

“The conclusion of boundary negotiations and the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bhutan fully serve the long-term and fundamental interests of the country and nation of Bhutan,” Wang said.

“China is ready to work with Bhutan in the same direction, seize the historic opportunity, complete this important process as soon as possible, and fix and develop China-Bhutan friendly relations in legal form,” Wang, also a member of the powerful Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party, told Dorji.

The Bhutanese Foreign Minister is in Beijing to hold the China-Bhutan boundary talks, the release said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry press release quoted Dorji as saying that Bhutan and China have enjoyed a traditional friendship.

He thanked China for its strong support and assistance to Bhutan.

Bhutan firmly abides by the one-China principle meaning Taiwan and Tibet are part of China and stands ready to work with China for an early settlement of the boundary issue and advance the political process of establishing diplomatic relations, it said.

China and Bhutan do not have diplomatic relations but maintain contact through periodic visits by officials.

While Beijing resolved the boundary disputes with the 12 other neighbours, India and Bhutan are the only two countries China has yet to sign the border agreements.

China in recent years stepped up efforts to establish full-fledged diplomatic ties with Bhutan and to expedite negotiations to reach a settlement for the vexed border dispute which was complicated by Beijing’s attempts to claim Doklam despite Thimphu’s assertions that the area belonged to it.

China’s attempts to build a road in the Doklam plateau in 2017 resulted in an India-China stand-off triggering tensions between the two neighbours.

India strongly opposed the construction of the road by the Chinese military at the Doklam tri-junction as it would have impacted its overall security interests since it runs close to the narrow Siliguri Corridor also known as the Chicken Neck connecting India with its north-east.

The standoff ended after Beijing dropped its plan to build the road.

Also in 2020, China made a surprising claim on Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council by opposing funding for the project.

Bhutan has lodged a demarche to the Chinese Embassy in India over China’s claim over the sanctuary made at the GEF meeting.

China has also ramped up efforts to develop the villages located along borders with India Bhutan and Nepal with infrastructure development and preferential policies.

Beijing and Thimphu held their 13th Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the Bhutan-China Boundary issues in Beijing in August this year.

After the talks, the Bhutanese Foreign Ministry has said the discussions were “candid, friendly and constructive discussions on continuously implementing the MoU on the Three-Step Road Map for Expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary Negotiation,” according to Bhutanese Foreign Ministry press release.

Dorji’s current visit to Beijing comes in the backdrop of remarks by Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering in March this year that Bhutan hopes to complete the demarcation of territories with China within “one or two meetings”.

“We do not encounter major border problems with China, but certain territories are not yet demarcated. We still have to discuss it and draw a line,” Dr Tshering told Belgian newspaper La Libre in an interview published during his visit to Brussels in March this year.

As Tshering’s remarks raised concerns in India considering the close ties, Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited New Delhi in April and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the two leaders resolved to expand the close ties between the countries.

Briefing the media on the talks between Prime Modi and Bhutan King Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two countries share ties characterised by “trust, goodwill, mutual understanding.” “India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest,” he said.

After his interview stoked controversy, Tshering told The Bhutanese newspaper that he had said nothing new in his statements to the Belgian paper on Doklam and the Bhutan-China boundary talks.

“I have said nothing new and there is no change in position,” he said.

In his talks with Dorji on Monday, Wang also said China always prioritises neighbourhood diplomacy in its overall diplomacy and adheres to the principle that all countries, big or small, are equals.

He claimed that China respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries and the legitimate aspirations and concerns of small and medium-sized countries apparently referring to concerns among China’s neighbours about Beijing’s expansive territorial claims.

The Chinese press release also said Dorji expressed Thimphu’s backing for President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Cultural Initiative (GCI) to further Beijing’s strategic initiatives.

“Bhutan highly appreciates and supports the three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, which have delivered benefits to all parties, especially its neighbours, including Bhutan”, the Chinese press release said without mentioning the names of the initiatives.

After its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China is pushing for global support for the three initiatives proposed by Xi.

Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” during his visit to Beijing in September declined to endorse GSI which advocates joint security saying that it is not in the interest of Nepal to maintain a strategic balance between India, China and the US.

He however backed GDI for its orientation on development.

Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremesinghe who took part in this month’s Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China however supported all three initiatives.

Sri Lanka firmly supports and actively participates in the GDI, GSI, and the GCI proposed by China, a joint statement issued after Wickremesinghe’s visit said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a news conference in Beijing, Oct. 18, 2023. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will come to Washington for a three-day visit starting Thursday. It’s the latest move by the two countries to keep high-level talks open as the U.S. contends with China’s rise as a global power.
| Photo Credit: AP

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will travel to the United States later this week, senior Biden administration officials said on Monday, in a long-anticipated visit that comes amid soaring tensions in the Middle East, which U.S. officials hope Beijing can help contain.

Mr. Wang will visit Washington from Oct. 26-28 and meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, officials said, declining to say if he will meet with Mr. Biden as well.

The trip will be the highest-level in-person engagement ahead of an expected meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November. It is also the long-awaited reciprocal visit after several top U.S. officials including Mr. Blinken visited Beijing this summer.

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Washington’s top priority has been to ensure the intense competition between the world’s two largest economies and their disagreements over a host of issues from trade to Taiwan and the South China Sea does not veer into conflict.

“We continue to believe that direct face-to-face diplomacy is the best way to raise challenging issues, address misperception and miscommunication, and explore working with the Chinese where our interests intersect,” said one official, who briefed reporters on the trip on condition of anonymity.

The visit also comes as Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s response dominate global headlines, even as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.

Washington is sending military aid to Israel and Ukraine, while Beijing has grown closer to Russia since the Ukraine war began and has called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s war in Ukraine would both be discussed, a second official said, adding that the U.S. would “push the Chinese to take a more constructive approach on both.”

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Washington has placed importance on China’s ability to influence Iran. Mr. Blinken, during his whirlwind trip last week to the Middle East, held a phone call with Mr. Wang asking him to use Beijing’s clout in the region to ensure the conflict does not widen.

China has consistently called for restraint and a ceasefire in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza following the Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 Israelis but has also sharpened its criticism of Israel.

Territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas would also be on the agenda during Wang’s visit, the U.S. officials said, adding that Washington was deeply concerned by China’s “destabilizing and dangerous actions” in the South China Sea.

The Philippines, a U.S. ally, on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of “intentionally” colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission, in the most serious incident yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal.

Re-establishing military-to-military ties with China remains a top U.S. priority, the officials said, adding that meant sustained communications down the ranks and that China’s apparent lack of a Defense Minister would not be an obstacle.

Defense Minister Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for nearly two months amid a corruption probe.