State of border to determine state of India-China ties: Minister Jaishankar

Amid the ongoing military standoff between India and China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship between Beijing and New Delhi.

Speaking at the launch of the Asia Society Policy Institute in the national capital, Jaishankar said that much of Asia's future depends on how the ties between the two countries develop in the foreseeable future.

"Much of the future of Asia depends on how relations between India and China develop in the foreseeable future. For ties to return to a positive trajectory and remain sustainable, they must be based on the three mutuals: mutual sensitivity, mutual respect and mutual interest. Their current status is, of course, well known to all of you. I can only reiterate that the state of the border will determine the state of the relationship," he said.

Both India and China have engaged in a standoff at a number of friction points in eastern Ladakh for over two years. The situation worsened after violent clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in June 2020. Since then, both sides have been engaged in several high-level military talks.

"Asia's prospects and challenges are today very much dependent on developments in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, the concept itself is a reflection of divided Asia, as some have a vested interest in keeping the region less cohesive and interactive. That the global commons and the international community are better served by collaborative endeavours like the Quad apparently leaves them cold. Developing even a basic strategic consensus in Asia is, therefore, clearly a formidable task. As the international order evolves, this desire to selectively retain elements of the 1945 situation while transforming others - and we see that in the UN as well - complicates world politics," Jaishankar further said in the event.

He also emphasized that a narrow Asian chauvinism is actually against the continent's own interest. "Precisely because Asia is so energetic and creative, it would like to benefit from the open doors of other regions. That obviously cannot be a one way street," he added.

(ANI)