India, China discuss Ukraine, border crisis

Bloomberg

India and China discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine and their own border standoff during an unannounced visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the first since tensions erupted between the neighbors two years ago.
Ties between New Delhi and Beijing haven’t returned to normal yet and will continue to be disturbed as long as troops remain deployed along their shared Himalayan border, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters. However, “both India and China agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic solution,” he added.
The threat of bloody hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours, like the one witnessed in 2020, remains as military commanders from both sides have made only marginal progress in several meetings over the past two years. Soldiers remain deployed toe-to-toe in several locations as troop pullback has been limited to just three friction points along the border.
Both sides have mobilised thousands of soldiers, artillery guns, tanks and fighter jets to the border since the dispute began. Relations between the two countries have been frigid since the summer of 2020 when skirmishes first started.
India and China have taken a common position towards Russia’s attack on its neighbour, with both nations calling for peace while abstaining from a vote on a United Nations draft resolution calling on Vladimir Putin to withdraw forces from Ukraine.
“Both China and India agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and resolution through diplomacy,” Jaishankar said.
Wang invited India to participate in the next meeting of the BRICS grouping, which also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa, Jaishankar said. No date is set for that meeting.