Jaishankar talks tough with China on LAC

Vientiane (Laos), Agencies: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday emphasised the need to ensure "full respect" for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and past agreements to "stabilise" and "rebuild" bilateral ties with Beijing as he met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for the second time in a month.

The two leaders, who are in the Laotian capital to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), also agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process following the military standoff in eastern Ladakh in May 2020.

"Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi in Vientiane today. Continued our ongoing discussions about our bilateral relationship. The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties," Jaishankar said in a post on X after meeting with Wang on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings here.

India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas. The Jaishankar-Wang talks came amid the dragging border row in eastern Ladakh.

"Agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process," Jaishankar added.