Jaishankar Meets Chinese President Xi in Beijing, Calls for Stable, Constructive Ties
Beijing, 15th July 2025: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, marking his first visit to China in six years. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ summit, amid signs of a slow but steady improvement in bilateral relations between India and China.
Jaishankar, in a post on social media platform X, said, “Called on President Xi Jinping this morning in Beijing along with my fellow SCO foreign ministers. Conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard.”
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where both sides acknowledged progress made over the past nine months toward normalising ties. The discussions focused heavily on the resolution of border tensions and the need to sustain peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control.
“This is the fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust and for the smooth development of bilateral relations,” Jaishankar noted, stressing the importance of de-escalation and addressing outstanding issues related to the border.
The positive trajectory in ties, he said, could be attributed to the progress made since the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi in Kazan last year. Jaishankar urged Beijing to approach the relationship with a “far-seeing” and balanced perspective, stating, “Stable and constructive ties between India and China are not only to our benefit, but that of the world as well.”
He reaffirmed that both sides had earlier agreed that “differences should not become disputes, nor should competition ever become conflict,” and underlined the need to handle relations with “mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity.”
Jaishankar also flagged concerns over restrictive trade practices, saying such measures could hinder India’s domestic manufacturing and broader economic cooperation. “It is essential that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks are avoided,” he said, while advocating for the normalization of people-to-people exchanges, direct air connectivity, and the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
The two sides also agreed to resume cooperation on trans-border rivers, with a focus on sharing hydrological data, a key step toward enhancing transparency and trust.
Ahead of the SCO meeting, Jaishankar highlighted the bloc’s mandate to counter terrorism, separatism, and extremism, urging that zero tolerance for terrorism be firmly upheld as a shared commitment among member states.
The minister’s visit follows the resolution of a prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh, concluded in October 2023 with disengagement at Depsang and Demchok. That breakthrough opened the door for high-level engagement, including the Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan. Prime Minister Modi is expected to visit China again in September for the upcoming SCO Summit, signaling a potential deepening of bilateral dialogue.
