‘It’s hard…’: On China, Jaishankar says troops disengagement done, but interests must be ‘respected’

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday (March 5) said that New Delhi wants a stable relationship with China in which India’s interests are “respected and sensitivities are recognised.”

The EAM, during a conversation at Chatham House, an independent policy institute in London, said that the two countries are discussing steps to see how the relationship can go in a more predictable, stable, and positive direction, noting that troop disengagement on the border has already been done.

Why India-China relations were disrupted

The minister said that the context of the disruption of India-China relations was the Chinese troops making multiple transgressions in Eastern Ladakh in 2020, and the tense standoff that followed.

“In October 2024, we were able to resolve many of the urgent issues, the pending issues, pertaining to what we call the disengagement of troops who had been deployed up front,” he said.

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Discussions with China ongoing

He mentioned that the countries are engaging on multiple issues, but the process remains complex.

“The resumption of pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, the direct flights between the two countries, the journalists’ issues- all these are being discussed, but there are some other issues. For example, we had a mechanism for Trans-border rivers.

That mechanism had stopped because the relationship was very badly disrupted after 2020. So we looking at this package…it’s hard. You know, obviously, we would like to see it done sooner rather than later. And then we will see what happens”, Jaishankar said.

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On being asked about the kind of relationship India wants with China, EAM said, “We want a stable relationship where our interests are respected, our sensitivities are recognised, and where it works for both of us. That is really the main challenge in our relationship.”

Jaishankar is visiting the United Kingdom and Ireland from March 4 to 9 to strengthen India’s friendly relations with both nations.

With inputs from agencies