Discussions about India-China ties in Jakarta

Wang Yi, the director of China’s Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, is present at a meeting on July 12, 2023, in Jakarta. Image courtesy of Reuters

Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi warned Indonesian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar that “specific issues” shouldn’t “define the overall relationship” in Jakarta, reflecting ongoing disparities between how India and China approach advancing relations.

Mr. Jaishankar said that during Friday’s talks, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed were held at India’s request in a statement on Saturday, both parties “discussed outstanding issues related to peace & tranquillity in border areas.”

The Minister posted a statement on Twitter stating, “Our conversation also covered EAS/ARF [ASEAN Regional Forum] agenda, BRICS and the Indo-Pacific.” Additionally, Mr. Jaishankar had emphasized the significance of peace on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) as a prerequisite for normalcy in the larger relationship during bilateral talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in March and May, and he had urged China to advance disengagement in two ongoing flashpoints.

President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi “expressed that President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi have reached an important consensus on stabilizing China-India relations,” according to the Chinese readout of the talks, which was released on Saturday. “The two sides should take actions to this end, adhere to the correct direction of bilateral relations, grasp the general trend of global development, and promote the stabilization and improvement of China-India relations,” it added.