India and China are making concerted efforts to resolve long standing issues that have plagued the relations between the two countries but the momentum must be maintained
After a long gap and years of tension, there is some respite in India-China relations. For the past few years it has been an uneasy relationship, even the visa services were disrupted between the two countries. However, after a low point in relations after incidents like Galwan clash in 2020, things are now looking up. Visa services are restored and now more confidence-building measures are expected which would at least make relations functional if not cordial.
In a significant breakthrough signalling a thaw in bilateral relations, India and China have taken decisive steps to reset their diplomatic and strategic engagement. A high-level meeting between visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has broken the ice. The discussions, focused on building trust and reducing tensions, resulted in the agreement to work toward an early settlement of the longstanding boundary issue. An Expert Group under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) will now be set up to explore a mutually acceptable framework for delimiting the border. This will involve defining the boundary legally and politically without necessarily erecting physical markers on the ground. The meeting also reaffirmed previous consensus reached at Kazan, emphasising a fair and reasonable approach based on the 2005 Agreement on Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for Settlement of the Boundary Question.
Beyond security and diplomacy, the dialogue also touched on people-to-people and economic ties where both nations agreed to resume direct flights at the earliest, ease visa facilitation, and expand Indian pilgrimages to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. Border trade is set to resume at three designated points-Lipulekh Pass, Shipki La, and Nathu La-while discussions will continue to enhance trade and investment flows. This was indeed unthinkable a few months back. The visit comes against a complex backdrop of global economic tensions. India recently faced US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, with an additional levy on oil imports from Russia. Similarly, the US and China remain locked in tariff disputes. Improved India-China relations could help both countries better navigate these shifting economic dynamics, reducing dependency on Western markets and creating space for bilateral cooperation. Ironically it is Trump who is facilitating Indo-China rapprochement. Security cooperation is also likely to be strengthened. The two countries have agreed to establish General Level Mechanisms in the Eastern and Middle Sectors in addition to the existing mechanism in the Western Sector. A working group under the WMCC will focus on effective border management to ensure continued peace and stability. Prime Minister Modi is expected to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO rapprochement) summit in China later this year, signalling India’s willingness to engage constructively on multilateral platforms.
