India, China need to find equilibrium: Jaishankar

Foreign minister says face-off in Ladakh sector this month occurred due to differing perceptions of Line of Actual Control

India and China need to find equilibrium in their relationship, which should be a source of stability in an uncertain world, and ensure that their differences do not become disputes, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

The second informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping would be “just as warm” as their first such meeting in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, Jaishankar told a news conference that laid out foreign policy achievements in the first 100 days of the Modi government.

The Wuhan informal summit was a “very unique” meeting between the two leaders, who spent two days in “very comfortable and open conversation” on a range of subjects.

“In the past, a lot of our discussions were very choreographed, very formal and with a pre-set agenda. [The Wuhan summit] was much more open and freewheeling and a real value we saw in it was that it is important for India and China, who are both rising powers, to find equilibrium because each one of them has their own expectations of the world and of each other,” he said.

Jaishankar said the principle behind the Wuhan meeting was that the India-China relationship should be “a source of stability in an uncertain world”. He added: “Where we have differences. Those differences should not become disputes.”

He noted that a face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Ladakh sector this month occurred because of differing perceptions of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) but was resolved once established mechanisms to address such situations “kicked into play”.

Responding to questions about a delay in the next round of border talks under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism, Jaishankar said New Delhi had not announced any dates for the discussions.

“We do not take a call until we actually take a public call. There was no rescheduling [of the talks],” he said.

Jaishankar said India is also watching developments in Hong Kong with “great attention”.

Since June, Hong Kong has witnessed anti-government protests that began against a nowsuspended extradition bill. The protests have grown to include calls for more democratic rights, police accountability and the resignation of Beijing-backed chief executive Carrie Lam.

“Given that we have investments and our community there, we are watching it with great attention,” he said.