China, India promise to improve bilateral relations

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of the Group of 20 (G20) President India on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, India, March 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar here on Thursday, with both sides vowing to improve bilateral ties.

The duo held the meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting held from Wednesday to Thursday.

Qin said during the meeting that as neighbor countries and major emerging economies, China and India have far more common interests than differences.

The development and revitalization of China and India display the strength of developing countries, which will change the future of one-third of the world's population, the future of Asia and even the whole world, Qin noted.

The two sides, said Qin, should view their bilateral relations in the context of the once-in-a-century changes in the world, understand bilateral cooperation from the perspective of their respective national rejuvenation, and be partners on the path to modernization.

He said the two sides should implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, maintain dialogue and properly resolve disputes, and promote the improvement of bilateral relations and the steady moving forward of the relations.

The boundary issue should be put in the proper place in bilateral relations, Qin said, adding that the situation on the borders should be brought under normalized management as soon as possible.

China is willing to speed up the resumption of exchanges and cooperation with India in various fields, resume direct flights at the earliest date and facilitate people-to-people exchanges, said the Chinese foreign minister.

He said China and India have shared interests in many areas including safeguarding the rights and interests of developing countries, promoting South-South cooperation, and addressing global challenges such as climate change.

China supports the Indian side in fulfilling its chairmanship of the G20 and is ready to strengthen communication and cooperation to safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international equity and justice, so as to inject stability and positive energy into the world, Qin said.

Jaishankar said for his part that India and China are both great ancient civilizations and important partners of each other. Thus the two countries have and can continue to achieve positive results in areas such as economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The Indian side, Jaishankar said, agrees that bilateral relations should be understood and improved from a historical perspective and strategic height, and more cooperation platforms should be established to promote India-China relations along the right track.

Jaishankar said the current situation on the borders is gradually stabilizing, and both sides should work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

He expressed gratitude for China's support for India's chairmanship of the G20, and willingness to maintain communication and coordination in multilateral affairs.