NEW DELHI: Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday he told Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the neighbours should tackle key aspects of relations, such as fair market access and trade balance, in New Delhi's effort to repair ties with Beijing.
Relations between the nuclear-armed nations improved in 2024, ending years of friction dating from a border clash in 2020, after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October 2024.
"There are also concerns about predictability of supply chains ... We also need to agree on the meetings of various mechanisms and platforms as per our mutual priorities," Jaishankar said on X.
"Peace and tranquility in the border areas is obviously the prerequisite for normal ties," Jaishankar added after the meeting, held on the sidelines of a regional gathering in the Philippine capital of Manila.
"Since October 2024, both sides have engaged to ensure that important objective. This will continue to need our constant attention."
India and China have resumed direct flights and New Delhi has cut red tape to speed up approvals of business visas for Chinese professionals since October 2024.
Both will also resume border trade from August 1, following a six-year gap, domestic media said.
India’s US$132 billion worth of imports from China in fiscal year 2025/26 were its highest from any nation, with a deficit of more than US$100 billion in their total trade of US$151.10 billion.
India, which imports inputs and machinery critical for its factories, eased curbs this year on Chinese investments in some industries, a major step towards rebuilding ties with Beijing.
In 2020, New Delhi tightened scrutiny of investments from Chinese companies, as relations soured after their troops clashed on their largely undemarcated Himalayan frontier, killing 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
