India, China made promising beginnings; rebuilding ties depend on 3-fold formula: Foreign secretary

New Delhi: India and China have made "promising" beginnings to repair their ties in the last five months and a "durable base" for rebuilding the relations depends on a threefold formula of mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Tuesday.

As two large neighbours in an important part of the world, a stable bilateral relationship between India and China would contribute to humanity as a whole, he said.

The foreign secretary was speaking at an event hosted by the Chinese embassy on the occasion of the establishment of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

It was for the first time that a high-level Indian official attended an event hosted by the Chinese embassy since the ties between the two neighbours came under severe strain following a clash at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020.

Top leaders from the two countries also exchanged messages Tuesday on the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the development of India-China ties was conducive for a stable and multipolar world, a sentiment echoed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

At the event, Misri said, "The path forward may be a difficult one, but it is the one that we are prepared to walk and it is on the basis of these steps that we have already taken in the last five months that we have seen promising beginnings, which we should turn into tangible benefit for the people of our two countries." "This will make today's celebration even more meaningful for the future," he said.

The foreign secretary said a "durable base" for rebuilding the ties must be based on the "threefold formula of mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest". Misri said peace and tranquillity on the border areas is critical for the smooth development of the overall bilateral relations.

India-China relations plunged to their lowest point since the 1962 war following the Galwan Valley clashes.

Following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides withdrew their troops from several friction along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

In October last, the two sides firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.

Days after the agreement was finalised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Kazan and took a number of decisions to improve the ties.

Misri also referred to the series of meetings between the two sides in the last few months and said both sides are looking at resuming "practical cooperation" that included resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this year.

"We are also discussing resumption of cooperation on trans-border rivers, on direct air services and several other issues," he said.

"We are also as is signified by this event this evening, looking at several activities to commemorate the 75th anniversary establishment of diplomatic relations," he said.

"The objective of all of these, first of all this is to enhance people to people ties and restore mutual trust and confidence amongst the public," Misri added.

The foreign secretary said the bilateral relationship between India and China is an "important" one. "As two large neighbours in an important part of the world, a stable bilateral relationship between the two of us would contribute to humanity as a whole." "It is therefore our wish and desire to use this occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to rebuild India-China relations," he added.

Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong said as the only two major developing countries and representatives of emerging economies, India-China ties have become one of the most crucial bilateral relations in the world.

"We should build a healthy and stable China-India relationship. Both sides should adhere to the strategic judgment made by the two leaders (PM Modi and President Xi) that 'China and India are partners rather than rivals'.

"We should uphold the principles of mutual respect, mutual understanding, mutual trust, mutual accommodation and mutual accomplishment," he said.

"We should properly handle differences through dialogue, and never allow bilateral relations to be defined by the boundary question, or let specific differences affect the overall picture of bilateral ties, so as to ensure that China-India relations always move forward along the track of sound development," Xu added.

The envoy said China and India should develop a mutually beneficial relationship and that both sides are at a "critical stage of national development and revitalisation". "It is our common goal to develop the economy and improve people's livelihood," he added.

The sound and stable development of bilateral relations serve the fundamental interests of the two nations, meet the common aspiration of regional countries, and are conducive to world peace, stability, development and prosperity, he said.

"India is committed to realizing the vision of 'Viksit Bharat 2047'. We should strengthen the alignment of our development strategies, resume and promote exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and push forward the modernisation of the two countries," he said.

Last month, India and China explored ways to rebuild ties and agreed to initiate efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges, including arrangements for resumption of direct flights and resume Kailash Manasarovar Yatra this year.

In December, NSA Ajit Doval travelled to Beijing and held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question.

In January, Misri visited Beijing and held talks with his Chinese counterpart Sun Weidong.