External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and discussed outstanding issues relating to peace and tranquillity in border areas. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting here in the capital of Indonesia.
Jaishankar discusses border issues with Wang Yi
“Just concluded a meeting with Director Wang Yi of the Office of the CPC Central Commission for Foreign Affairs,” Jaishankar said on Twitter. Jaishankar said he discussed outstanding issues related to peace and tranquillity in border areas.
India has been locked in a military standoff with China for more than three years, with Jaishankar claiming it to be the most complex challenge in his long diplomatic career.
Wang, a former Chinese foreign minister, is attending the ASEAN plus meetings in Jakarta as the incumbent foreign minister Qin Gang is unwell.
Jaishankar said, "ASEAN is a crucial pillar of India's Act East policy and its vision for the wider Indo-Pacific. A strong and unified ASEAN plays an important role in the emerging dynamic of the Indo-Pacific. India firmly supports ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific."
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday also met his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly during which he underlined the need to firmly combat incitement to violence and ensure the security of Indian diplomats in Canada amid a spate of anti-India activities by Khalistani supporters in the country.
"Met Canadian FM @melaniejoly in Jakarta Discussed the Indo-Pacific and our economic cooperation," Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting.
Jaishankar discusses safety of diplomats & Khalistani Movement with Melanie
"Underlined the importance of ensuring the security of our diplomats. And the need to firmly combat incitement to violence," he said in the tweet.
The meeting comes days after Canada assured India of the safety of its diplomats following the circulation of Khalistani posters online.
India has asked its partner countries such as Canada, the UK and the US not to give space to "extremist Khalistani ideology" as it is "not good" for relations.
The "radical, extremist Khalistani ideology" is not good for India or its partner countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, he told reporters on the sidelines of a BJP outreach campaign in New Delhi early this month.
Last month, India slammed Canada after visuals surfaced on social media of a tableau in Brampton that reportedly celebrated the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Canada's response to the Khalistani issue appeared to be constrained by its "vote bank compulsions" and India will have to respond if the activities impinge on its national security and integrity, Jaishankar had said on the issue.
The Khalistani issue has impacted ties between the two countries in many ways in the last few years, he had said.
India has been asking Canada against giving space to pro-Khalistani separatists and extremist elements, Jaishankar had said.
