‘India Hopes For Zero Tolerance On Terror’: Jaishankar’s Message To China In Beijing
In a significant visit aimed at stabilising fragile ties, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday, where he delivered a firm message that India expects “zero tolerance for terrorism” to be strongly upheld by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Jaishankar, who is in China to attend an SCO foreign ministers’ conclave, held wide-ranging talks with Wang Yi, marking his first visit to the country since the 2020 Galwan Valley military clashes sent bilateral relations into a deep freeze.
“Tomorrow, we will be meeting in the format of the SCO, whose primary mandate is to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. This is a shared concern and India hopes that zero tolerance for terrorism will be strongly upheld,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks, with his Chinese counterpart seated opposite him.
The minister’s remarks on terrorism in Beijing are particularly significant, coming just weeks after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ against terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and amid allegations of China’s “all-weather” support for Pakistan.
Jaishankar acknowledged the “good progress” made in normalizing relations over the past nine months, linking it directly to the “resolution of friction along the border.” He stressed that peace and tranquility on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the “fundamental basis for mutual strategic trust” and that it is now “incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation.”
The EAM’s visit is the latest in a series of high-level engagements between the two Asian giants since their leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, met in Kazan, Russia, last October. These efforts are aimed at repairing the severe strain in ties following the deadly 2020 border standoff.
The trip also follows Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to China last month for an SCO meeting, where he had refused to sign a joint declaration because it failed to mention the dastardly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
