Border agreement must now be built upon: China Daily editorial

Bilateral relations between China and India nose-dived to a low point in June 2020 when a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley happened. Since then, New Delhi has imposed bans on hundreds of Chinese apps including TikTok, and restricted Chinese investments in India.

Yet despite the Indian government curbs targeting Chinese businesses, Sino-Indian trade has continued to grow thanks to the complementary nature of the two economies. China remains India's biggest source of goods and was its largest supplier of industrial products last year. Moreover, Indian imports from China have surged 56 percent since the border clash. All this points to the bright prospects of developing bilateral ties if the potential of the two major emerging economies with a combined population of more than 2.8 billion can be fully unleashed.

Beijing has on many occasions made it clear that China and India, as good friends and partners, should not let their relations be defined by their border disputes. Rather, the two sides should properly manage their differences and handle them through peaceful consultations and by addressing each other's concerns.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, has expressed the wish that China and India need to "urgently address the prolonged situation" on the borders so that the abnormality in bilateral interactions can be put behind them. All this has paved the way for the two sides to open new prospects in China-India relations by seeking to end the border hostilities and tapping into the full potential of business and investment cooperation.

The agreement that China and India have reached on patrolling arrangements along their disputed border marks a major progress made by the two countries in resolving their four-year military standoff so as to restore peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas.

The deal, which will lead to the "disengagement" of the two countries' troops at the line of actual control, will help transition the border situation into a normalized phase of control and management. It was reportedly reached following close communication between the two sides through diplomatic and military channels over the past few weeks. China views the solution "positively", and will work with India to implement the pact, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

It is noteworthy that the news was released just prior to the opening of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, where the top Chinese and Indian leaders were scheduled to hold talks on the sidelines of the event. This in a way underlines the readiness of the two sides to keep the big picture of their peaceful and stable bilateral relations in mind.

While the two sides work to implement the border deal to the letter, precautions should be taken to prevent it from being derailed. Not only by those in India who always try to use the border issue as a means to fan nationalistic sentiment in pursuit of partisan gains, but also external forces that seek to propel India to act as a regional counterweight to China's influence in the fast-changing geopolitics.

Now that a good starting point has been established with the signing of the latest deal, China and India should take the good momentum it has generated to enhance understanding and mutual trust, while taking other steps needed in the long process of seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement to their border issue.

China's stance on solving the border issues with India has always been clear and consistent, and it has made sincere efforts to maintain stable ties between the two militaries, de-escalate the situation and restore peace and stability in the border areas as soon as possible.

After all, a peaceful, stable and balanced relationship between China and India not only serves their own interests, it also contributes immensely to world peace and stability.