On Monday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, emphasizing India’s firm stance against terrorism.

During his visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave in Tianjin, Jaishankar remarked that stable and constructive relations between the two countries would be advantageous for the global community.

“Our discussions today will encompass a range of global and regional topics. Tomorrow, we will convene in the SCO format, which primarily focuses on combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism. This is a mutual concern, and India anticipates that a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism will be vigorously maintained,” he stated in his opening comments at the meeting.

Jaishankar’s comments regarding terrorism in Beijing are particularly noteworthy as India has been actively highlighting Pakistan, China’s steadfast ally, for its role in cross-border terrorism on international platforms following Operation Sindoor.

This marks Jaishankar’s first trip to China since relations between the two nations deteriorated significantly after the military standoff in 2020 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

He also acknowledged the positive developments over the past nine months towards normalizing bilateral relations.

“This progress stems from resolving border tensions and our capacity to maintain peace and stability in that area. This forms the essential foundation for mutual strategic trust and the smooth advancement of our bilateral relations. It is now our responsibility to tackle other border-related issues, including de-escalation… We have previously agreed that differences should not escalate into disputes, nor should competition turn into conflict. With this foundation, we can now continue to enhance our relationship on a positive path,” he concluded.

Significance of Jaishankar’s Visit to China

Jaishankar’s visit is occurring less than three weeks after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Chinese port city of Qingdao to attend the SCO defence ministers’ conference.

Rajnath Singh declined to endorse a joint declaration at the meeting, as it failed to mention the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, while it did reference incidents in Pakistan.

China currently holds the chair of the SCO and is hosting the meetings of the organization in that role.

India-China Military Standoff

The military confrontation in eastern Ladakh commenced in May 2020, and a fatal clash in the Galwan Valley in June of that year led to a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries.

The standoff effectively concluded with the completion of the disengagement process from the last two points of contention, Demchok and Depsang, under an agreement reached on October 21 of the previous year.

The decision to reinstate various dialogue mechanisms was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan on October 23, 2024.

This Modi-Xi meeting took place just two days after India and China solidified a disengagement agreement for Depsang and Demchok.