External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday said that India’s relationship with China has improved significantly. Speaking at the CNN News 18 Rising Bharat Summit 2025, he mentioned that India and China are now discussing collateral issues related to COVID-19, direct flights, and the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
“The relationship is much better than before. I think the disengagement, particularly the Depsang Demchok, was important,” the EAM said.
“We are now addressing, to some extent, the issues on the border because there has been a force build-up over a period of years. Many other things also happened during this period. Some of it was collateral to the situation, and some of it was a carryover from the Covid era,” he said.
“For example, our direct flights stopped during Covid. They were not resumed. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra stopped during Covid and did not resume. So, I think there is work to be done. We are at it. We are trying to see whether we can make progress on a lot of these issues post-Covid, and parallel to the border tensions. We are looking into it because, at the end of the day, we’ve always maintained that the situation between 2020-2024 was not in the interest of either country; it was not in the interest of our relationship. I think there is recognition of that now, and we are moving in a positive direction,” the foreign minister added.
Earlier, in October 2024, India and China reached an agreement on patrolling arrangements in the Depsang Plains and Demchok, two friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This agreement was reached after earlier disengagements in other friction points in eastern Ladakh, following meetings at both diplomatic and military levels.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan in October last year on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit.
PM Modi welcomed the agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 in the India-China border areas. He underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes, ensuring that they do not disturb peace and tranquillity.
(ANI)