China-India mutual trust pressed
India has vacillated and even moved backward over its policy on China.
BEIJING (Xinhua) — China and India “should firmly follow the right path of mutual trust and cooperation between neighboring major countries, and not go astray with suspicion and distrust nor fall back on a road of negative retrogression,” Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.
Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that the two sides should maintain the strategic consensus reached by their leaders.
He noted that the two countries need to properly handle the border issue.
Recently, India has vacillated and even moved backward over its policy on China, which has affected and disrupted bilateral pragmatic cooperation, Wang said, noting that it goes against the interests of both sides.
Experience over the past few decades has repeatedly demonstrated that acts of highlighting differences will not help resolve the issue, but erode the foundation of mutual trust, he added.
Wang said that China and India have recently completed disengagement of frontline troops in the Pangong Tso Lake area, with the situation on the ground significantly eased.
The two sides must cherish the hard-won progress, jointly consolidate the achievements and maintain the momentum of consultation, so as to further ease the situation, he said.
Both sides should also improve the border control mechanism, advance the boundary negotiation process and continuously accumulate mutual trust to achieve peace and tranquility in the border areas, Wang said.