China seeks 'fair, equitable' settlement of LAC dispute

New Delhi, March 7

The relations between India and China have encountered some setbacks in recent years which do not serve the fundamental interests of the two countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at his annual press conference in Beijing on Monday.

The boundary question is a leftover from history and China has advocated managing differences through “equal footing consultation and actively seeking a fair and equitable settlement” while not letting it affect or interfere with the bigger picture of bilateral cooperation, he added.

Reaching out

Only by staying independent can China and India develop. Both nations must be partners for mutual success instead of adversaries. —Wang Yi, Chinese foreign minister

Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that India’s relationship with China was going through a “very difficult phase”.

Wang also accused some forces of trying to stoke tensions between the two countries and said “their attempts have put more and more thoughtful people in reflection and on alert”.

“More and more people have come to realise that for China and India, both major countries with a population of over one billion, only by staying independent can we firmly grasp our own destiny and realise our goals of development and rejuvenation,” he elaborated.

Taking recourse to an Indian proverb, the Chinese Foreign Minister wanted both countries to be “partners for mutual success instead of adversaries”. The Chinese Foreign Minister gave a new coinage to the US Indo-Pacific strategy by describing it as “54321” referring to Five Eyes, the Quad, AUKUS, and bilateral relationships in the region. The “sinister’’ aim behind this strategy is to set up an Asian version of NATO, he said.

Wang said ties with Moscow were “one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world”.