As the two Asian neighbours looked for methods to reduce simmering military tensions along their border, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told Indian foreign minister that bilateral relations needed to be normalised.

According to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang informed Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that mutual assistance is required between the two countries instead of mistrust in ASEAN meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Over a 3,800-km (2,360-mile) shared border, much of which is poorly marked, India and China engaged in a brief but devastating war in 1962. After a series of border accords, relations between the two countries have improved during the 1990s, and China is now India’s second-largest trading partner. However, a setback in 2020 when 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers died in border conflict, prompted both forces to deploy troops at the border.

The two forces’ animosities have been reduced via a number of rounds of military and diplomatic negotiations, but New Delhi has characterised the border situation as fragile and dangerous.

Wang advised Jaishankar during their meeting on Friday that China and India must cooperate to get solution to boundary dispute which is acceptable to both nations.

The next round of border issues negotiations between military commanders on both sides will take place soon, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Wang encouraged a fair, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises in response to recent limitations imposed by India on Chinese companies.