India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Wednesday that peace in the border areas is the "prerequisite for normal ties."
The remarks came during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the Philippine capital of Manila, which is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related meetings through Friday.
"We believe that a stable and cooperative relationship can best be developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity. Such a relationship can make a valuable contribution to a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world," he said.
Jaishankar said India-China ties have gradually normalized since October 2024, urging both sides to maintain momentum.
"Relevant mechanisms in this domain must be given full support and strong encouragement," he said.
"It is natural that as two large and important nations, and that too proximate neighbors, India and China would have their own particular interests," he said.
However, he said, the leaders of the two countries agreed that differences should not become disputes.
He welcomed recent steps including the resumption of direct flights, updated visa arrangements, and the resumption of border trade.
However, Jaishankar said important issues remain to be addressed, including fair market access, trade balance and supply-chain predictability.
He also called for facilitating official and people-to-people exchanges, as well as meetings through various bilateral mechanisms and platforms.
