Chinese Foreign Minister expresses China's readiness to work with India on advancing ties

Beijing [China], March 7 : Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has expressed China's readiness to work with India to sum up past experience, forge a path forward and advance bilateral ties on the track of sound and stable development. He noted that India and China mark 75 years of diplomatic ties this year.
While addressing a press conference on Friday, Wang Yi said, "This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic relations. China stands ready to work with India to sum up past experience, forge a path forward, and advance China-India relations on the track of sound and stable development."
He noted that the ties between India and China have made positive strides over the past year and recalled the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Russia's Kazan in October last year.
He said, "China-India relations have made positive strides over the past year. The successful meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan last October provided strategic guidance for the improvement and development of the bilateral ties. Both sides have earnestly followed through on the important common understandings of our leaders, strengthened exchanges and practical cooperation at all levels, and achieved a series of positive outcomes."
Calling India and China "each other's largest neighbours", Wang Yi stated, "Wang Yi said, China and India are each other's largest neighbors. China always believes that the two should be partners that contribute to each other's success. A cooperative pas de deux of the dragon and the elephant is the only right choice for both sides."
He stated that China and India have a shared task to accelerate the development and revitalization of the two nations and stressed that there is every reason that two nations support each other.
"As the two largest developing countries, China and India have a shared task to accelerate our countries' development and revitalization. There is every reason for us to support each other rather than undercut each other, work with each other rather than guard against each other. This is the path that truly serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples," Wang Yi said.
He noted that India and China have enough wisdom to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas pending a fair and reasonable solution. Calling India and China "important members" of the Global South, Wang said that the two nations have responsibility to take lead in opposing "hegemonism and power politics."
Wang Yi said, "As two ancient civilizations, we have enough wisdom and capability to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas pending a fair and reasonable solution. We should never allow bilateral relations to be defined by the boundary question, or let specific differences affect the overall picture of our bilateral ties."
"As important members of the Global South, we have the responsibility to take the lead in opposing hegemonism and power politics. We must not only safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of our countries, but also uphold the basic norms governing international relations. When China and India join hands, the prospects for greater democracy in international relations and a stronger Global South will improve greatly," he added.
Earlier on February 21, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday expressed satisfaction over meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.
"I am glad that we could meet today on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg. Such gatherings have provided an opportunity for our interaction even when our ties were going through a difficult phase," EAM said in his opening remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi.
Jaishankar expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to engage in dialogue, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in a polarised global landscape. He acknowledged the efforts made by both countries to preserve the G20 as a vital institution, demonstrating their commitment to collaborative governance.
"We should also recognize that in a polarised global situation, our two countries have worked hard to preserve and protect the G20 as an institution. This in itself testifies to the importance of international cooperation," he added.
This meeting marked a crucial step in strengthening India-China relations, which have experienced a challenging phase in recent times. Since their last meeting in Rio during the G20 Summit in November 2024, there have been notable developments in India - China relations.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri have visited China and engaged in discussions on various aspects of their relationship, including border management and other key areas.