Against the backdrop of fresh tensions between India and China following a faceoff between border troops over the weekend, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Monday it is important for the two sides to reach “some kind of equilibrium”.
“Like every other country in the world, we are very cognisant of the rise of China. We are an immediate neighbour of China…so obviously…you are very directly impacted by the rise of China,” he said during an online interaction at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s (USISPF) annual leadership summit.
Given the long history and culture of the two countries and their population of more than a billion people each, he said: “It’s very important that they reach some kind of understanding or equilibrium between them.”
The “modus vivendi between India and China” is consequential for both countries and the world, he added while responding to a question on China’s aggressive actions around the world and its ties with Pakistan.
The Pakistan-China ties go back to the early 1960s and “aspects of it have been of concern to India”, Jaishankar said. “Obviously, that is something which we factor in our relationship with both countries,” he said.