Last Updated:
Jaishankar and Wang Yi agreed that India and China should trust, support, and achieve mutual success with each other, as they are two ancient civilisations and neighbours.
EAM S Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi meet on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo: S Jaishankar/X)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar kicked off the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa by meeting his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of the high-profile conference.
During the meeting, Wang told Jaishankar that the restoration of mutual trust and the realisation of win-win cooperation between India and China meet the shared expectations of both peoples, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Wang also recalled the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan last year, noting that it set the direction for the improvement and development of bilateral relations.
The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Johannesburg provided an opportunity to meet CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi of China this morning on its sidelines. pic.twitter.com/sX3aMu1new— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 21, 2025
Both sides also agreed that India and China should trust, support, and achieve mutual success with each other, as they are two ancient civilisations and neighbouring major countries.
Following PM Modi’s meeting with Xi, exchanges at all levels between India and China have been steadily resumed and special representatives for the border issue have reached a consensus on properly handling specific differences, Wang said.
ALSO READ: EAM Jaishankar Meets Sergey Lavrov, Says ‘Reviewed India-Russia Bilateral Cooperation’
What Did Jaishankar Say?
The Indian minister said at the meeting that the Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan provided important guidance for rebuilding bilateral relations and the exchanges have yielded significant results in improving India-China ties.
Jaishankar further stressed that building mutual trust between India and China is in the interests of both sides. He said India values the hard-won progress in improving bilateral relations and is willing to work with China to accelerate the restoration of cooperative mechanisms, enhance cultural exchanges, facilitate people-to-people ties, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the border regions.
Jaishankar is in Johannesburg on a two-day visit to South Africa to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. The meeting comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts between India and China to address bilateral issues and regional challenges.
India and China completed the disengagement process after firming up a pact for the withdrawal of troops from Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh. Two days after finalisation of the pact, Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan on October 23. In the meeting, the two sides decided to revive the various dialogue mechanisms.
Trump’s Offer To Mediate In India-China Tensions
Jaishankar’s meeting with Wang gained more importance after US President Donald Trump offered to mediate the lingering issue between the two neighbourhoods during PM Modi’s visit to the White House earlier this month.
During a briefing with PM Modi, Trump said he was ready to extend support if it could help in resolving the long-standing tensions between New Delhi and Beijing. However, India stressed that such issues must be “resolved bilaterally”.
“I do see the skirmishes on the border, which are quite vicious, and I guess they continue to go on. If I could be of help, I would love to help as that should be stopped,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, China is willing to work with India to plan the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Wang said, injecting new momentum into the development of bilateral ties.