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On July 31, Hong Liang, Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Dai Guolan, Joint Secretary of the Department of East Asian Affairs of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the 30th meeting of the China-India Border Affairs Consultation and Coordination Working Mechanism in New Delhi, with representatives from the two countries' foreign affairs, defense, immigration and other departments attending. Reuters commented on August 1 that the relationship between China and India had "deteriorated for a time", but recently after the two sides met and negotiated, it "returned to the right track."

In this regard, Lin Minwang, a researcher at the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, told Observer.com that the two foreign ministers met twice in a short period of time in July, as well as Jaishankar's statement in Tokyo, which shows that India is adjusting its position and policy. China should view this adjustment by India with a positive attitude, but at the same time, do not expect too much. This is a tactical adjustment by India, and there may be many variables in the future.

"Resolve the border situation as soon as possible"

According to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China and India agreed to actively implement the important consensus reached by the two countries' foreign ministers in the recent bilateral meeting, focus on specific issues related to the China-India border, take care of each other's reasonable concerns, and reach a solution acceptable to both sides as soon as possible.

The two sides agreed to maintain communication through diplomatic and military channels, strengthen the building of negotiation mechanisms, accelerate the negotiation process, achieve a turning point in the border situation as soon as possible, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-India relations.

The two sides agreed to strictly abide by the agreements reached and continue to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Indian Foreign Minister: NoExpecting other countries to intervene in China-India issues

It is worth mentioning that on July 29, the US-Japan-India-Australia Quadrilateral Security Dialogue Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Tokyo. On the same day, Jaishankar stated at a press conference that India's poor relations with China were abnormal and that India hoped to improve its relations with China. He also stressed that the problems between China and India should be solved by the two countries themselves and that no other country should be expected to intervene.

"Based on our experience, we have our own views on China. We have not handled our relationship with China very well." Jaishankar said that China and India had a conflict in the border area in 2020, and since the issue has not been fully resolved, the consequences continue to exist.

"I think it's up to both of us to discuss and find a solution," he said. "Obviously, other countries in the world will also pay attention to this because we are two major countries and the state of our relationship will have an impact on other countries in the world. But we don't expect other countries to solve the real problems between us."

Earlier, on July 25, the foreign ministers of China and India held a meeting in Vientiane.

According to the Chinese notification, Jaishankar said that India and China are the two most populous countries, two emerging economies and ancient civilizations with a long history. Maintaining a stable and predictable development of bilateral relations is in the interests of both sides and is of special importance to maintaining regional peace and promoting multi-polarization. India and China have extensively intertwined interests and are also facing the shadow of border events. However, India is willing to find solutions to differences with a historical perspective, strategic thinking and an open attitude, and push bilateral relations back on a positive and constructive track.

The two sides agreed to work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and promote new progress in border affairs consultations.

Regarding the direction of China-India relations, American economist and deputy editor-in-chief of Asia Times David P. Goldman wrote on July 26 that "the warming of China-India relations has punctured America's daydreams."

The article points out that although the United States regards India as a so-called "democratic force" to balance China, the two Asian powers are moving towards strengthening economic cooperation and reducing strategic conflicts. The article lists the huge gap between China and India in infrastructure, financial strength, and human resources, and believes that the economic ties between China and India are becoming closer and India needs China's investment and technology, all of which have contributed to the easing of Sino-Indian relations.

scholar:Modi government performs poorly and makes tactical adjustments to China policy

Regarding whether China-India relations have "returned to the right track", Lin Minwang, a researcher at the South Asian Studies Center of Fudan University, told Observer.com that it is too early to make this judgment because there is still a gap between the two sides in solving some practical problems.

Lin Minwang believes that China should view India's adjustments with a positive attitude, but at the same time should not have too high expectations and should not hastily conclude that the relationship between the two countries has "gotten on the right track" because there are still many variables in the future.

Lin Minwang said that the two foreign ministers' two meetings in a short period of time in July, as well as Jaishankar's statement in Tokyo, show that India's position is gradually adjusting. In other words, India is making adjustments and changes in its statements and policies toward China.

The reason why we see India adjusting its policies toward Russia and China can be linked to the results of India’s recent general election.

Lin Minwang pointed out that in this election, Modi and his BJP performed poorly, largely because their support rate in their traditional constituencies dropped sharply. The Modi government's crazy suppression of Chinese companies and the situation of "growth but no employment" in the economy have led to young people's dissatisfaction with the Modi government's economic policies. So now Modi's adjustment of China policy is also part of his adjustment of China's economic policy.

"There is still a lot of uncertainty in the current international situation, including changes in the situation on the battlefield of the Russia-Ukraine war and whether Trump will come to power, which will bring great uncertainty." Lin Minwang added, "So the Modi government can no longer be blindly pro-American as before, because the possible sudden changes in the situation will cause great internal and external pressure on him. So I think the partial adjustments he is making now are tactical adjustments."

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