Beijing: India's decisions on Jammu and Kashmir are country's "internal" matter and have no implication for either the external boundaries of India or the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi amidst Beijing's objection to the formation of Ladakh as Union Territory.
During his bilateral meeting with Wang, Jaishankar also said it was important to ensure that bilateral differences should not become disputes and emphasised that the future of the ties will depend on the mutual sensitivity to each other's "core concerns".
The remarks came in response to Wang, who brought up developments pertaining to legislation passed recently by the Indian Parliament on J&K, saying China is "very closely" following the Indo-Pak tensions over Kashmir and its "ramifications" while asking New Delhi to play a "constructive role" for regional peace and stability.
According to an official release from the external affairs ministry, during the bilateral meeting, Jaishankar conveyed that this was an "internal" matter for India and the issue related to changes in a temporary provision of the Constitution of India and was the sole prerogative of the country.
Asserting that the legislative measures were aimed at promoting better governance and socio-economic development, Jaishankar also said there was no implication for either the external boundaries of India or the LAC with China. "India was not raising any additional territorial claims. The Chinese concerns in this regard were therefore misplaced.
The minister also conveyed that so far as the India China boundary question was concerned the two sides had agreed to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the Boundary Question on the basis of the 2005 Political Parameters and Guiding Principles," the release said.
Jaishankar, who is on a crucial three-day visit to China, also called on Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, considered a confidant of President Xi Jinping.
Welcoming Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Wang referred to the Indo-Pak tensions without directly mentioning about India scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. "On the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, we can have mutually beneficial cooperation. This is in the fundamental interest and long term interest of our two peoples and also contribute to world peace and human progress," Wang said.
"When it comes to the recent tensions between India and Pakistan and the possible ramifications, we follow these developments very closely. We hope that India would also play a constructive role for the regional peace and stability," he said.
The visit of Jaishankar, the first Indian minister to tour China after the Modi government began its second term, is taking place following India's decision to revoke the special status of J&K and divide the state into two Union Territories -Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
"To ensure that it was important that differences between us, if any, should not become disputes. It was a matter of great satisfaction that at the Wuhan summit last year, there was a very deep, constructive and open exchange of views between our leaders. We have seen the impact of that on the bilateral relations since," he said, referring to the summit meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi.
“Today looking at the efforts that while the leaders give further guidance for the growth of our relationship, it is important to build public support for the relationship. We have done that over the years by being sensitive to each other's core concerns and by managing differences properly and by working on the positive convergences that we have on the relationship," he said.
"I hope today the discussions we have would help us translate those convergences into many more shared activities and collaborations," he said. Jaishankar, who served as India's Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2013, the longest tenure by an Indian envoy, told the foreign minister that “it is a pleasure for me to visit China early in my tenure as Foreign Minister to co-chair the high-level mechanism with you to also make preparations for the forthcoming informal summit between our leaders”.
Foreign Minister Wang while referring to his restrictive delegation talks with Jaishankar in which only a few officials were present, said, "We just had in-depth discussions and at the large group meeting would also have important discussions on bilateral issues and important political agenda between the two sides and I am sure your visit this time will be useful for our bilateral relations and for regional stability. Once again welcome to China."
The longstanding issue of India's concerns over trade deficit, which last year climbed to over USD 57 billion in the USD 95.5 billion bilateral trade, is expected to figure in Jaishankar's talks with the Chinese leadership.
After India's move to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state, China issued two separate statements outlining its position on Ladakh and, Jammu and Kashmir.
In one statement, China objected to the formation of Ladakh as Union Territory by India, saying it undermined its territorial sovereignty. It also expressed "serious concern" about the current situation in the region and said, "relevant sides need to exercise restraint and act prudently".
In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said, "India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise."
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