India-China Relations Are Not Normal, Can’t Be Normal: Jaishankar

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the relations between India and China were not normal and could not be normal as long as there was no peace and tranquility in the disputed border areas between the two countries.

“India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa.

On Thursday, Jaishankar had emphasised to his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the necessity of resolving the eastern Ladakh border dispute and maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) for the normalization of bilateral relations between India and China.

The two foreign ministers met for nearly an hour at the Taj Exotica Resort in Goa on the sidelines of the SCO summit. In a tweet, Jaishankar said that the discussion focused on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.