Jaishankar Reveals What India Told China Amid Strained Ties — ‘It Took Them a While’ to Agree

Jaishankar on India-China ties: ‘It took a little while’ for Beijing to agree

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has revealed what India had repeatedly conveyed to China during the prolonged period of strained bilateral relations, saying New Delhi told Beijing that the deterioration in ties was not beneficial to either country.

Speaking at an Asia Society event in New York, Jaishankar said India had made this point to the Chinese side at multiple levels, including in his own conversations with Chinese officials.

“A standoff between us, a dip in our relationship, doesn't help either of us. Third parties will take advantage of that,” Jaishankar said, as quoted in reports of the event.

‘It took a little while’ for China to agree

Jaishankar said China eventually came around to the same assessment, although it took some time.

“It took a little while for the Chinese side to agree with that, for whatever reason,” he said.

The minister added that the prolonged standoff had not served India's interests and, in his assessment, had not served China's interests either. He linked the gradual improvement in bilateral relations to the movement towards greater normalcy along the border.

India-China ties improving after 2020 tensions

Relations between India and China were severely affected by the 2020 military clash and the subsequent prolonged border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

However, the two countries have taken a series of steps in recent years to ease tensions. India and China reached a patrolling arrangement in October 2024 concerning the remaining friction areas in eastern Ladakh, helping facilitate a broader diplomatic thaw.

Jaishankar said that compared with 2025, India-China relations were better in 2026, and compared with 2024, the improvement was even more evident. He said the resolution of the border standoff created conditions for the wider relationship to begin improving.

Border peace remains central to normalisation

India has continued to maintain that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for normal bilateral relations.

In July, Jaishankar told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remained a “pre-requisite” for normal India-China ties. He also raised India's concerns regarding market access, the trade imbalance and predictability of supply chains.

More recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. According to the Prime Minister's Office, both sides stressed mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest, while also discussing border peace, trade, supply chains and people-to-people exchanges.

A gradual reset, not a complete resolution

Jaishankar's comments indicate that New Delhi sees the current improvement as a gradual normalisation rather than the end of all differences between the two countries.

While diplomatic and economic engagement has increased, issues including the unresolved boundary question, trade imbalance and market access remain part of the bilateral agenda. India has continued to link sustained progress in the broader relationship with stability along the border.