India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Wednesday said that peace in the areas around the border with China is a "prerequisite for normal ties."
The remarks came during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the Philippine capital of Manila, which is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings through Friday.
"We believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. Such a relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world," he said.
Jaishankar said India-China ties have gradually normalised since 2024, urging both sides to maintain momentum.
India and China reached a border-patrolling agreement in October 2024, enabling full troop disengagement from the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley standoff sites and easing tensions.
"Relevant mechanisms in this domain must be given full support and strong encouragement," he said.
"It is natural that as two large and important nations, and that too proximate neighbours, India and China would have their own particular interests," he said.
However, he said, the leaders of the two countries agreed that differences should not become disputes.
He welcomed recent steps including the resumption of direct flights, updated visa arrangements, and the resumption of border trade.
However, Jaishankar said important issues remain to be addressed, including fair market access, trade balance and supply-chain predictability.
He also called for facilitating official and people-to-people exchanges, as well as meetings through various bilateral mechanisms and platforms.
