New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to China demonstrates a cautious but deliberate move to stabilise one of Asia’s most consequential bilateral ties and reflects India’s mature foreign policy, a report said, noting that it should not be considered a breakthrough but a reset in tone and intent.
“It reflects a mature foreign policy — one confident enough to recognise complexity, to accept that rivals can still talk, trade, and set guardrails around their competition without pretending the underlying rivalry has disappeared. The real test will lie in follow-through: whether this round of dialogue translates into sustained calm at the border, fairer economic terms over time, and resilient channels of contact that can withstand the next crisis of confidence,” Arjun Mehta wrote in a report in India Narrative.
“In a fractured global order where great-power relationships increasingly default to confrontation, even modest, hard-won stability between India and China is a strategic asset worth pursuing — not because it resolves their rivalry, but because it makes that rivalry safer to live with,” he added.
Border stability remained at the centre of Misri’s visit to China. India’s stance on China has remained that normalcy in bilateral ties depends on tranquillity at the border, not the other way around. Foreign Secretary’s meetings during his China visit indicate that a final settlement on the boundary question remains years away; however, the two nations now know the importance of maintaining contact through patrol protocols, hotlines and military-to-military talks that stop a local skirmish from escalating into something graver, according to the report.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that India and China were moving ahead with their earlier understanding on the resumption of border trade through the designated trading points of Lipulekh, Shipki La and Nathu La Pass.
On Monday, Misri and China’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying held a meeting and reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties. The two sides acknowledged the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas.
“Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri met H.E. Ms Hua Chunying, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China. They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations. They discussed means of advancing the vision of the two leaders that India and China are partners and development opportunities for each other, including through mutually beneficial outcomes across trade and economic ties, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Both sides acknowledged the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas,” the Embassy of India in China stated on X.
The Foreign Secretary discussed ways to enhance bilateral exchanges between India and China at the political and people-to-people levels during his meeting with Hong Liang, Deputy Secretary General of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), in Beijing.
He also met Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC’s Central Committee, and discussed ways to deepen implementation of the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping for bilateral ties.
“Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri commenced his official visit to China today with a meeting with H.E. Sun Haiyan, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. They discussed ways to deepen implementation of the guidance of the leaders for bilateral relations, including addressing issues of priority to both sides and by promoting political, people-to-people, academic and think-tank exchanges,” the Indian Embassy noted.
–IANS
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