Manage dispute with strategic views: China

India and China should handle their ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, properly managing differences and expanding cooperation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said on Tuesday’s strategic dialogue between the two countries held in New Delhi. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Chinese Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu held the India-China Strategic Dialogue, during which they discussed the whole gamut of the bilateral ties.

Ma is in India to participate in the BRICS Sherpa meeting. Both sides had friendly, candid and in-depth communication on the international and regional situation, respective internal and external policies, international and regional issues of shared interest, and China-India relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry press release last night said on Misri, Ma talks.

Both sides underlined that, given the complex and profound changes in the international situation, China and India should work together to earnestly implement the important common understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, view and handle China-India relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, it said.

As part of the common understanding between the two leaders, both countries should uphold the strategic perception that China and India are cooperative partners instead of rivals, and the two countries are each other’s development opportunity instead of a threat, it said. China and India should deepen mutual trust and expand cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the development of the relations along a sound and steady track, it said.

Both sides agreed to support each other’s work as the BRICS Chair for 2026 and 2027, it said. Both sides agreed to support multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations, strengthen unity and cooperation among the Global South, safeguard international fairness and justice, work together for a multipolar world, and make contributions to peace and development in Asia and the world at large, it said.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in its press release that the two sides exchanged views on a wide gamut of issues covering bilateral, regional and international affairs. In their talks, Misri and Ma primarily focused on steps taken by the two sides to stabilise and rebuild bilateral ties that had come under severe strain following the over four-year military standoff in eastern Ladakh. In the meeting held under the framework of India-China Strategic Dialogue, both sides recognised the need for an early conclusion of an updated air services agreement.