S Jaishankar raises border peace, trade imbalance in meeting with China’s Wang Yi
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Context
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila, focusing on trade imbalances, supply chain predictability, and border peace. Following the October 2024 disengagement along the , the dialogue emphasized that stability on the border is a prerequisite for normalized bilateral relations, even as China recently became India's largest trading partner.
UPSC Perspectives
Geopolitical
The meeting underscores India's strategic posture of linkage diplomacy, maintaining that normal ties are contingent upon peace at the border. The military standoff that began in May 2020 at the fundamentally altered the relationship, moving away from the paradigm where economic cooperation and border disputes were compartmentalized. Jaishankar's emphasis on the 'three mutuals'—mutual respect, mutual interest, and mutual sensitivity—highlights a demand for parity in the relationship. The resumption of direct flights, updates to the visa regime, and the restarting of the signal a gradual thawing, heavily dependent on the sustained implementation of the October 2024 disengagement agreement. UPSC aspirants should analyze this in the context of the evolving multipolar Asia and India's strategy to balance Chinese assertiveness through regional platforms like the .
Economic
The burgeoning trade relationship presents a complex paradox for India's economic strategy. China's ascent to becoming India’s largest trading partner in 2025–26, with bilateral trade at $151.1 billion, is overshadowed by a massive trade deficit of $112.16 billion. This highlights India's structural dependence on Chinese imports, particularly in critical sectors like active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), electronics, and machinery, which contradicts the goals of . The concerns raised regarding supply chain predictability and fair market access reflect the vulnerabilities of over-reliance on a single, potentially adversarial source. Addressing this trade imbalance requires long-term structural reforms to boost domestic manufacturing competitiveness, diversify import sources through China Plus One strategies, and negotiate better market access for Indian exports like IT services and agricultural products in China.
Internal Security
Border management remains the critical flashpoint in Sino-Indian relations. The prolonged deployment of troops and the infrastructure build-up along the necessitate a robust internal security framework. The October 2024 disengagement agreement is a significant step, but maintaining 'peace and tranquillity' requires vigilant monitoring and effective border management protocols. Aspirants should connect this to broader security challenges, including the need for modernizing border infrastructure, improving intelligence gathering, and ensuring coordination between different security agencies. The principle that 'differences should not become disputes,' initially highlighted at the 2017 , emphasizes the role of sustained diplomatic and military-level talks in managing localized frictions and preventing escalation into wider conflicts.