India-China Ties at 75: New Delhi Stresses ‘Lessons Learnt’ Amid Border Tensions

Marking 75 years of diplomatic ties, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri calls for mutual respect, sensitivity, and interest as the foundation for rebuilding trust with China, while reaffirming peace at the border as non-negotiable.

April 2, 2025: As India and China marked 75 years of diplomatic relations on April 1, 2025, India struck a balanced tone — extending a hand of cooperation while firmly reminding China of the “lessons learnt” from recent border conflicts.

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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, speaking at a commemorative event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, called for a renewed focus on mutual respect, stability, and people-to-people ties, while underscoring that border peace remains critical for the overall bilateral relationship.

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🔑 Key Highlights:

• Misri acknowledged the ancient civilizational links between the two Asian giants, referencing cultural icons like Bodhidharma, Kumarajiva, and Rabindranath Tagore.
• Reflecting on the recent 2020 Ladakh standoff, Misri noted that the conflict had caused “a difficult phase” in India-China relations. However, he stressed that continuous engagement between political, military, and diplomatic leadership has helped resolve several issues.
• The first “lesson”, according to Misri, is the strength of historical ties and shared cultural contributions. The second, is the importance of border tranquility in enabling broader cooperation.
• A third and foundational principle, he said, is a three-fold formula: mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest.
• He emphasized the progress made over the last five months, including two meetings between foreign ministers, a round of SR-level boundary talks in Beijing, a defence ministers’ meeting after five years, and his own visit to Beijing in January 2025.
• Announcing concrete steps toward renewed engagement, Misri said that the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra would resume this year. Talks are also underway to restore cooperation on transport, rivers, and air connectivity.
• “Let us take this 75th year milestone as an opportunity to rebuild our ties,” Misri concluded, urging both sides to convert recent diplomatic progress into “tangible benefits for the people.”

While Beijing echoed similar sentiments through Ambassador Xu Feihong, India’s message was clear: any roadmap for the future must be built on hard-earned trust, anchored in border peace and guided by shared responsibility.

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India-China relations, 75 years India China, Vikram Misri, Xi Jinping, PM Modi, LAC standoff, Kailash Mansarovar yatra, border peace, mutual respect diplomacy, Indo-China diplomacy, China ambassador Xu Feihong, SR-level talks, India foreign policy