External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar  held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit in Brazil capitla city Rio de Janeiro. They noted the progress in the recent disengagement in Ladakh and exchanged views on the next steps in bilateral ties, according to External Affairs Minister who shared the details of his meeting on social media platform X.

“On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio, met CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi of China,” Jaishankar said in his X post. He said that the two leaders “noted the progress in the recent disengagement in the India-China border areas”. Jaishankar also said that India and China exchanged views on the next steps in the bilateral ties between the two countries and had a discussion on the global situation.

The meeting between Jaishankar and Wang Yi came a month after the meeting of Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. Prime Minister Modi during the meeting had stated that ties between the two nations are important for the people of India and China and for regional and global peace and stability.

The sentiment was also reiterated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who had earlier said, “At some areas along the LAC, discussions have been ongoing between India and China at both diplomatic and military levels to resolve conflicts. Following recent talks, there has been a broad consensus to restore the ground situation. This consensus has developed on the basis of equal and mutual security. The agreement includes rights related to patrolling and grazing in traditional areas”.

He added, “Based on this consensus, the disengagement process is nearly complete. We will strive to move beyond just disengagement, but for that, we will need to wait a little longer.” This came after both India and China confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the two nations regarding patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the India-China border areas.

The border standoff between India and China began in eastern Ladakh along the LAC in 2020, sparked by Chinese military actions. This incident led to prolonged tensions between the two nations, significantly straining their relations. Meanwhile, India and China are set to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations.