India presses China to ease trade and border tensions

India’s foreign Minister told his Chinese colleague in Beijing on Monday that India and China must settle tension along their border, withdraw troops and avoid “restrictive trade measures” to normalise their relationship.

India and China share a poorly demarcated 3,800 km (2,400 miles) border, which has been disputed since the 1950s. The two countries fought a short but bloody war over it in 1962.

Talks to resolve the border dispute have been ongoing for decades, but progress has been slow.

Last month, a new push was made by New Delhi for a conclusive outcome when Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that neighbouring countries should seek a “permanent solution” to the border issue.

Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar also stressed that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks should be avoided to foster mutually beneficial cooperation.

He was speaking in the context of Beijing’s recent restrictions on supplies of vital minerals such as rare earth magnets and machinery for tech goods manufacturing. Although India holds the world’s fifth-largest rare earth reserves, its domestic output remains underdeveloped.

There was no immediate Chinese response following the talks between Jaishankar and Wang Yi.

According to state news agency Xinhua, Jaishankar, who is in China for a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers, also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng earlier in the day.

Han said the two countries should strengthen cooperation and respect each other’s concerns, Xinhua reported.

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