India-China Relations
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a G20 meeting held in Johannesburg.
Key Highlights:
- Regional cooperation on platforms such as G20, SCO, and BRICS.
- Building of mutual trust and maintenance of border peace.
- Upgradation on events since the Rio meeting.
- China’s Position: “Exchanges at all levels have been restored,” said Beijing.
- Other issues: Resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, air services, river cooperation, and travel facilitation.
- Historical Background: These follow high level engagements, including NSA Ajit Doval’s visit to Beijing and the Ladakh disengagement agreement.
India Bangladesh Relations
Jaishankar met Bangladesh’s foreign minister Touhid Hossain in Oman.
Key Highlights:
- Bangladesh has called for a resumption of SAARC meetings, which have been stalled since 2016 because of Pakistan’s support for terrorism.
- Indian Response: “There’s no normalization of terrorism, as if the responsibility for terrorism lies on Pakistan.”
- India prefers BIMSTEC to SAARC in as much as it includes Thailand and excludes Pakistan.
- Context: Given Sheikh Hasina was in power and with her being the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the last tender 4 terms, Bangladesh is looking to improve ties with Pakistan.
Status of India regarding Gaza & Ukraine War
- Gaza War
- India has been striving for the two state formula as a mechanism to settle the Israel Palestine conflict.
- Jaishankar welcomed the ceasefire at Gaza and humanitarian assistance but condemned terrorism.
- Ukraine Russian War
- India reiterated its position that the conflict should be resolved by direct engagement between Russia and Ukraine.
These diplomatic engagements underscore India’s balancing act on regional security, global cooperation, and geopolitical conflicts.
