MEA Sidesteps Taiwan Question As India–China Readout Clash Over Ajit Doval–Wang Yi Meeting Deepens Diplomatic Tension

New Delhih: MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took care to steer clear of the “Taiwan question” on Tuesday. Speaking at an MEA press briefing, Jaiswal was asked for India’s response to the fact that the Chinese version of the official readout of the meeting between NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated India had reiterated its position on Taiwan during the talks.

“The two sides reviewed recent developments in bilateral relations and noted progress towards gradual normalisation in ties,” said Jaiswal. “NSA (Ajit Doval) underlined that stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral relations contribute to building trust and better understanding between the two sides, and these discussions were forwardlooking and constructive.”

Jaiswal’s response came after China issued two versions of the meeting between India’s NSA and the Chinese foreign minister. While the English version makes no mention of Taiwan and instead praises both Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping for reaching “important common understandings” during their meeting in Kazan last year, the Chinese readout is somewhat different in tone. In referring to the meeting between the two leaders, it said that China-India relations have “gradually emerged from their low point and returned to a track of recovery and improvement.”

The Chinese text is also explicit in mentioning Taiwan something that is not mentioned in the English text. Stating that India was willing to view its relationship with China from a “strategic perspective," the Chinese readout went on to say that New Delhi’s position on the “Taiwan question remains unchanged.” Such a phrasing suggests that the NSA had commented on Taiwan when India had not made any such comments on the issue. In its tweet on X of the meeting, the MEA said it welcomed “gradual normalization," suggesting that New Delhi viewed the relationship as a work in progress where incremental steps needed to be taken.

The Taiwan question is something that has bedevilled India-China readouts for some time now. While India had included the “One China” phrase in official documents, thereby acknowledging Taiwan as part of China, this practice came to an end in 2010 when Beijing issued stapled visas to citizens from Arunachal Pradesh. This stance has remained with New Delhi refusing to officially mention Taiwan in official briefings or documents.

India’s reticence on the matter has not stopped China from pushing the Taiwan question in the Chinese text. Tensions flared up between both sides when a Chinese readout of the meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in August 2025 quoted the Indian minister as saying, “Taiwan is part of China.”

India fiercely denied that Jaishankar had made such remarks, but the recent phrasing of the meeting between Doval and Wang Yi suggests that Beijing is determined to press the issue. Diplomats who have worked on China believe that this is due to Wang Yi, who wants India to officially document its “One China” policy once more. “India will have to exercise extreme textual vigilance when sitting across from Wang Yi’s team, as any loosely worded English phrase will be translated into a submissive sovereign commitment in the Mandarin readout,” said a senior diplomat. “This is especially true in the case of Taiwan,”