Jaishankar: India-China Ties Improve, Border Still Decisive

India-China ties better, border remains key: EAM Jaishankar

New York, Sep 29

EAM Jaishankar said India China relationship was better than it had been in 2025, and better still compared with 2024. He cautioned against treating that recovery as a fundamental change in the relationship.

"I don't think it's structural change so much as" a recovery from how far ties had deteriorated, he said. After the events of 2020 and the prolonged border stand-off, normal contact between the two countries had been severely affected.

Trade continued, but official exchanges, visas and flights were disrupted, he said. As the stand-off eased, some of those contacts began to return. EAM Jaishankar described that as a natural consequence of stabilisation rather than proof that the underlying issues had disappeared.

He said India had argued for years that a prolonged breakdown served neither country. "A dip in our relationship actually doesn't help either of us," he said, adding that third parties could benefit from such a situation.

The principle guiding India's approach, he said, was to avoid remaining trapped in a dispute that worked to the advantage of others. He suggested it had taken time for the Chinese side to accept that logic.

EAM Jaishankar said an improvement in ties strengthened India's position both in its dealings with China and in its wider international relationships. But he said India would seek practical solutions on its own terms.

"If I can find a solution that works for me, I would rather do that," he said.

He returned to the border as the decisive test. "The state of the border determines the state of the relationship," EAM Jaishankar said. "You can't have tension, if not worse, on the border and say the relationship should be normal."

As the border moves closer to normalcy, the broader relationship can do the same, he said. A more normal relationship would benefit both countries, though his remarks stopped short of suggesting that their differences had been settled.

The comments came in response to a question about increased flights and official engagement between India and China. EAM Jaishankar drew a distinction between the return of contacts that had been interrupted and a deeper change in the relationship. The first could follow a reduction in border tensions; the second required a more durable foundation.

His assessment also formed part of a wider argument about India's foreign policy. Countries were seeking a balance among several major relationships, he said, while reducing the risk of depending too heavily on any one partner. For India, that meant weighing its ties with China alongside those with the United States, Europe, Japan, Russia and others.

India and China share a long, disputed frontier. A deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020 brought their border tensions to international attention and sharply affected bilateral ties.

The two countries have continued to trade despite their political and security differences. India has consistently linked a fuller recovery in relations to peace and stability along the border.

— IANS