Border disputes a reality, should be given sufficient attention: China tells India

New Delhi, Feb 26: Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi has told External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar that the border dispute between India and China is a reality and should be taken seriously, but should be placed at an appropriate position in bilateral ties.

The two ministers spoke over phone on Thursday to review the troop disengagement process. The two sides have agreed to set up a hotline for better communication in a timely manner, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

Border disputes are an objective reality and should be given sufficient attention and taken seriously.

However, border issues are not the whole of India-China relations and should be placed at an appropriate position in bilateral relations, Wang Yi said according to the statement.

He was further quoted as saying that the recent disengagement of frontline Chinese and Indian troops had clearly eased the situation on the ground. Both sides must cherish the current hard-won situation, jointly consolidate the existing results and maintain the momentum of consultation, he also said.

Disengagement of the two militaries in the Pangong Lake area is an important result of the two sides earnestly implementing the Moscow consensus of the two foreign ministers, Jaishankar said according to the statement.

India hopes to strengthen dialogue and consultation with China to achieve complete disengagement in other regions as soon as possible and promote the continuous cooling of the border situation between the two countries, Jaishankar also said.

Wang Yi said that the bad ties were not in the interest of both countries. He said that the Indian policies towards China had changed in the last year and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries had been affected. He also said that past experiences show that highlighting differences will not help resolve problems and would also erode the foundation of mutual trust.

The statement said that both parties agreed to establish a communication hotline to exchange opinions in a timely manner.

"Spoke to State Councillor & Foreign Minister Wang Yi this afternoon. Discussed the implementation of our Moscow Agreement and reviewed the status of disengagement," Jaishankar said in a tweet later.

Both sides view the smooth and successful completion of disengagement in the north and south bank [of Pangong Lake] as a significant first step as this forms a basis for resolution of remaining issues so as to achieve the eventual goal of complete disengagement in all friction areas. Both sides have agreed to work towards a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.