Border, students and flights figure in Jai Shankar- Yi talks

By Our Special Correspondent

External Affairs Minister S Jai Shankar, who is presently in Bali, Indonesia, met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting on Thursday. In an hour-long meeting, the two leaders spoke on "specific outstanding issues" between both countries pertaining to the present border situation.

"Began my day in Bali by meeting FM Wang Yi of China. Discussion lasted one hour. Focused on specific outstanding issues in our bilateral relationship pertaining to the border situation. Also spoke about other matters including students and flights," Jai Shankar tweeted.

The two sides discussed resolving the border standoff that began in April 2020. “The EAM has called for speedy resolution of all issues in the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Recalling the disengagement achieved in some conflict areas, they reiterated the need to maintain momentum for complete disengagement from all remaining areas to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas," a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Notably, the External Affairs Minister is on a visit to Indonesia to take part in the two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of G20 countries that will begin on Thursday, July 7. Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting and will further also hold several important bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other G20 states and invited countries.

Thousands of Indian students were unable to return to China for over two years due to Beijing's Covid-19 restrictions. India has been taking up the issue with China several times.

There have been discussions between the two sides on the resumption of direct flights but there has been no forward movement on the issue. The flight services were suspended due to the pandemic.

On the bilateral issues, Wang said the two countries should take practical actions to implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries that “the two countries are not each other’s threats, but cooperation partners and development opportunities.”

With the theme of “Building a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous world together,” this year's meet aims to serve as a strategic forum to discuss global recovery efforts between member states. The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas.

India has been elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO's 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for 2022-2026. Elections to the Intergovernmental Committee took place during the three-day 2003 Convention's 9th General Assembly at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 5 July.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year in the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area. Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.