In a rare move, the ruling Communist Party in China has expressed its willingness to work closely with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party of India, in a bid to improve bilateral relations. During a meeting with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee Liu Jianchao said that the sound and steady development is in the interest of the Global South.
“Communist Party of China stands ready to enhance exchanges with the BJP to help accumulate favourable conditions for improving bilateral relations…For the two neighbouring major developing countries and two major emerging economies, the sound and steady development of China-India relations is conducive to advancing their respective modernisation drive, serves the fundamental interests of the people of the two countries, and meets the shared expectations of the Global South,” said Jianchao.
This comes hours after Dr S Jaishankar raised the issues of terrorism and extremism during the SCO meeting of foreign ministers. Notably, the BJP and the Communist Party of China have not shared cordial relations, especially in the wake of border skirmishes, including Galwan valley clashes.
During the SCO meet, Jaishankar not only raised the Pahalgam terror attack but also reminded the SCO nations about their shared responsibility against terrorism.
“The three evils that SCO was founded to combat were terrorism, separatism and extremism. Not surprisingly, they often occur together. Recently, we in India witnessed a graphic example in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025. It was deliberately conducted to undermine the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir, while sowing a religious divide,” said Jaishankar.
The EAM further added, “The UN Security Council, of which some of us are currently members, issued a statement that condemned it in the strongest terms and underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice. We have since done exactly that and will continue doing so. It is imperative that the SCO, to remain true to its founding objectives, take an uncompromising position on this challenge.”
Jaishankar also urged the SCO members to take everyone on board, especially in the time when the world is today moving towards greater multi-polarity. “The world is today moving towards greater multipolarity. This is not just in terms of the redistribution of national capacities, but also the emergence of effective groupings like the SCO. Our ability to contribute to the shaping of world affairs will naturally depend on how well we come together on a shared agenda. That means taking everybody on board,” said Jaishankar.
