The meeting between China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, who also functions as the country’s national security adviser (NSA), and NSA Ajit Doval on the margins of a BRICS event in New Delhi is the latest in the high-level interactions between the two countries. New Delhi and Beijing continue the work of normalising relations that were taken to a six-decade low by the prolonged military standoff in Ladakh. While the Indian side has characterised the discussions as “constructive and forward-looking”, with Doval underscoring the need for stable, predictable and constructive ties for building trust, Wang stuck to the stated Chinese position that China and India are “partners, not competitors”. Beijing insisted that the border issue should be placed in “an appropriate position” while the two countries focus on speeding up the restoration of dialogue mechanisms and promoting exchanges in trade, investments, law enforcement, media and other fields.New Delhi and Beijing continue the work of normalising relations that were taken to a six-decade low by the prolonged military standoff in Ladakh. (PTI)China, which has clearly emerged stronger after the West Asia crisis in a global system beset by immense geopolitical churn, appears to be bent on setting the norms for the process of improving bilateral relations. Beijing will do well to recall that the border issue and its unilateral actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) were the sole reasons the bilateral relationship was virtually ruptured in 2020.It is hard to argue with Wang’s contention that both China and India, as the two most populous economies, should enhance cooperation on the global stage and take the lead in the BRICS process to protect the interests of the Global South. However, the absence of complete trust is a key reason for the Indian side proceeding cautiously with the normalisation of ties. China needs to do more to reassure India about its concerns over exports of crucial commodities such as rare earths and fertilisers. Above all, it must demonstrate a sincere intent to resolve the border issue.