Chinese, Indian FMs meet on bilateral ties

RIO DE JANEIRO - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's external affairs minister, held talks on improving bilateral relations in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the successful meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kazan not long ago and the restart of China-India relations are in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples, the expectations of Global South countries and the right direction of history.

The two sides should implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, respect each other's core interests, enhance mutual trust through dialogue and communication, handle differences properly with sincerity and integrity, and bring the bilateral relationship back on the track of stable and sound development at an early date, Wang said.

The two sides should send more positive signals and engage in actions that facilitate bilateral exchanges, enhance mutual trust and reduce suspicion, and carry out more cooperation and reduce attrition, Wang said.

The two sides should strive to make practical progress in such issues as resuming direct flights, exchanging journalists and easing visa procedures as soon as possible, he said.

Noting that next year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India, Wang said the two sides should plan commemorative activities, and encourage exchanges and visits in various fields and at different levels to enhance understanding and mutual trust.

Wang said China and India, as two neighboring major developing countries, have more common interests than differences, and they should view each other's development as an opportunity and work together to achieve common development and rejuvenation, which will help safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and contribute to global multipolarity.

Both China and India adhere to a non-aligned foreign policy and multilateralism, and support the democratization of international relations, Wang said, adding that the two countries should continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in international affairs and further develop mechanisms such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

For his part, Jaishankar said during the BRICS Summit in Kazan, leaders of both countries reached a consensus on promoting the stable development of India-China relations, and expressed satisfaction with the progress made to implement the leaders' consensus.

India hopes to restart relevant dialogue mechanisms swiftly and maintain the momentum for improving and developing bilateral relations through strengthened communication, Jaishankar said.

The consensus between India and China far outweighs the differences. Both sides should view bilateral relations from a strategic perspective, properly handle relevant issues with a more positive attitude, and not let specific disagreement dominate bilateral ties, he added.

The Indian side is willing to take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year as an opportunity to push forward India-China relations, he noted.

As key players in international affairs, both countries demonstrate the potential for cooperation, Jaishankar said, adding India opposes unilateralism, rejects military alliances, supports the democratization of international relations and is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China within multilateral platforms like the G20 and BRICS.