India And China Discuss 'Outstanding' Border Issues On Sidelines Of ASEAN Meet In Jakarta

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday (14 July) held a meeting with Chinese diplomat Wang Yi to address ongoing issues concerning peace and tranquillity in border areas.

This meeting took place during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta.

"Just concluded a meeting with Director Wang Yi of the Office of the CPC Central Commission for Foreign Affairs," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Jaishankar said he discussed "outstanding issues related to peace & tranquility in border areas".

“Our conversation also covered the East Asia Summit/ARF agenda, BRICS and the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

For over three years, India has been engaged in a military standoff with China, which Jaishankar had described as the most complex challenge he has faced in his extensive diplomatic career, reports The Hindu.

Wang, a former Chinese foreign minister, is attending the ASEAN plus meetings in Jakarta in place of the current foreign minister Qin Gang who is unwell.

While speaking at the opening session of the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference earlier on Thursday (13 July), Jaishankar said that ASEAN is a crucial pillar of India's activities 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," he said.