External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized the need for "full respect" for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the importance of "stabilizing" diplomatic ties between India and China during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings, marking the second time within a month that Jaishankar and Yi have met.

Jaishankar and Wang Yi agreed on the necessity of providing "strong guidance" to complete the disengagement process following the military standoff in eastern Ladakh that began in May 2020. Jaishankar tweeted, "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. Agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process. Must ensure full respect for the LAC and past agreements. It is in our mutual interest to stabilize our ties. We should approach the immediate issues with a sense of purpose and urgency."

Wang Yi expressed hope that both nations would "actively explore" ways for peaceful coexistence and guide communities towards positive perceptions of each other. He noted that restoring China-India relations would also benefit the interests and "shared aspirations" of countries in the 'Global South.'

India has maintained that normal relations with China are contingent on peace in the border regions. The Jaishankar-Wang Yi talks come amid a prolonged border dispute in Ladakh, now in its fifth year.

The two leaders previously met on July 4 in Astana, Kazakhstan, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Following Thursday's meeting, the External Affairs Ministry stated that the talks provided an opportunity to review the border situation since their Astana meeting and announced plans for an early meeting of the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) to advance discussions.

The Ministry emphasized the need for both sides to fully adhere to relevant bilateral agreements, protocols, and past understandings.

India and China have conducted 21 rounds of Corps Commander-level talks to resolve the Ladakh standoff, the most serious military conflict between the two nations in decades. India continues to push for China to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas. Although the last high-level military talks in February did not yield a breakthrough, both nations agreed to maintain "peace and tranquillity" and to continue communication on the path forward.