External affairs minister S. Jaishankar meeting Chinese counterpart Qin Gang

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday told his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang that the “current state of the (Sino-Indian) relationship is abnormal”. The two foreign ministers discussed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during a 45-minute bilateral meeting in the capital on Thursday.

At a briefing later, he said, “We spent 45 minutes talking to each other. The current state of the relationship is abnormal. This is the adjective that I used at that meeting.”

India wants China to pull back its troops from all friction points in the Ladakh sector. However, the Chinese PLA is reluctant to do. New Delhi has made it clear to Beijing that normalcy cannot return to bilateral ties unless there is mutual disengagement of troops from all the friction points. This is the first visit of the new Chinese foreign minister to India.

“Our discussions were focused on addressing current challenges to the bilateral relationship, especially peace and tranquillity in the border areas. We also spoke about the G20 agenda,” the EAM tweeted.

It may be recalled that the 26th meeting of the "Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC)" in-person was held in Beijing recently. The "two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)" in the Ladakh sector and "discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas in an open and constructive manner".

The EAM also had a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Thursday. “Pleased to meet US Secretary of State @SecBlinken on #G20FMM sidelines. Opportunity to review bilateral ties and discuss global issues,” the EAM tweeted.