China-India relations back on track after border talks

The six points of consensus Beijing and New Delhi released on Wednesday after the first meeting in five years between their special representatives for the border mechanism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, in Beijing is a hard-earned result that must be cherished and acted upon faithfully by both sides.

As an apparent follow-up to the series of solutions they agreed on to resolve the border issue in October, the detailed readout of the meeting indicates the two neighbors have not only carried on but also strengthened the positive momentum that has developed since then.

Apart from agreeing to continue their military negotiations and consultations to accelerate the resolution of the border disputes and further specify the aforementioned solutions, the two sides also reached broad common understandings on the necessity of deepening mutual trust and stepping up cross-border exchanges, trade and cooperation, which notably includes working together to resume Indian pilgrimage to China's Xizang autonomous region.

If these consensuses can be transformed to concrete actions, they will bring about tremendous changes to the border region between China and India, turning it from a friction zone to a gateway for exchanges and cooperation.

Those who still held a wait-and-see attitude two years back when the two sides claimed a solution had been found to settle their long-term border disputes, suspecting it to be a makeshift arrangement to help set the stage for the meeting between the heads of state of the two countries in Kazan, Russia, soon after, should now have more reasons to consolidate their confidence that the two neighbors really mean it.

The two largest developing countries now have every reason to further dispel the suspicions of some naysayers by delivering on the six points of consensus, so as to create more favorable conditions to reboot their long-subdued economic and trade cooperation, which both need to invigorate their economic growth, thus paving the way for closer coordination between them on the world stage.

That the two sides had an extensive and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral, international and regional issues of common concern during the Wednesday meeting, emphasizing the importance of a stable, predictable and good China-India relationship for international and regional peace and stability, is a good sign that they are intent on working together in that direction.

The reconciliation of Sino-Indian relations occurs during the United States' power transition and at a juncture when many burning issues and the global agenda are facing a crossroads. Although, as Beijing reiterates, the border issue should not become a defining factor in Sino-Indian ties, it has indeed taken a heavy toll on the relationship these years due to complicated reasons in the region and beyond.

But equally, a proper solution to the border issue can also produce larger-than-life effects for not only the two neighbors but also Asia and beyond. All peace-loving countries should welcome that.

Next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. Looking back on the ups and downs of China-India relations over the past 70-plus years, as Wang stressed, a valuable lesson is that they should develop a correct perception of each other, adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and properly resolve differences through dialogue and consultation.

As two major developing countries in the world, representatives of emerging economies and important members of the Global South, the healthy and stable development of China-India relations is in line with both the fundamental interests of more than 2.8 billion people in the two countries and the historical trend of the Global South's remarkable growth.