New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Monday (August 18) told visiting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi that India and China must adopt a “candid and constructive” approach to move forward in their relations after a “difficult period”.Wang, a member of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo, arrived in New Delhi on Monday evening and immediately met Jaishankar.While Jaishankar’s opening remarks and his post-meeting social media updates made no mention, the Chinese foreign ministry’s Chinese language readout stated that the Indian side had conveyed that “Taiwan is part of China.” The English-language report by China’s state news agency Xinhua also stated that Jaishankar had made this assertion.There was no official statement from the MEA, but official sources clarified that “there is no change in our position on Taiwan.” They added, “We stressed that, like the rest of the world, India has a relationship with Taiwan focused on economic, technology, and cultural ties, and we intend to continue it”.The clarification makes it clear that India still does not have political or diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which underpins the one-China policy, even if the phrase itself remains unstated. India and Taiwan have maintained representative offices in each other’s capitals since 1995, with the India-Taipei Association in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi.If MEA had confirmed the articulation of the phrase, it would have marked the first public reaffirmation of India’s one-China policy in more than 15 years. The expression has been absent from diplomatic documents since 2010, when India omitted it from a joint statement during then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit.Wang’s visit is primarily to co-chair the Special Representative-level talks on the boundary issue with national security adviser Ajit Doval on Tuesday. He is also expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to travel to China later this month.After their talks, Jaishankar described the discussions as fruitful, noting they had “productive conversations on our economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity and bilateral exchanges”.According to Indian sources, Wang Yi committed to addressing three key economic concerns that had threatened to stall economic ties due to Chinese barriers on Indian imports. “FM Wang Yi assured EAM that China is addressing India’s needs of fertilisers, rare earths and tunnel boring machines,” the sources said early Tuesday morning. There has, however, been no response yet to China’s claim regarding India’s reported confirmation of the one-China policy.This was the second meeting between Jaishankar and Wang within a month. In July, the Indian minister had visited China for the SCO foreign ministers’ gathering, where the two held delegation-level talks on the sidelines. On that occasion, he also raised concerns about growing trade barriers, saying that “restrictive trade measures and roadblocks” should be avoided.The increased frequency of interactions between the two Asian powers follows the thaw in ties after the resolution of the military standoff in October 2024, which paved the way for the meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan.“Having seen a difficult period in our relationship,” Jaishankar said at the start of the meeting, “our two nations now seek to move ahead. This requires a candid and constructive approach from both sides”.“In that endeavour, we must be guided by the three mutuals – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest. Differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict,” he stated.Noting that India seeks multipolarity both globally and in Asia, Jaishankar said: “In the current environment, there is clearly the imperative of maintaining and enhancing stability in the global economy as well”.He also stated that the “fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is another major priority”.According to the Chinese foreign ministry’s press release, Wang said the world is witnessing a rise in “unilateral bullying practices” and that “free trade and the international order [are] facing grave challenges”.Wang also highlighted the need for long-term strategic cooperation. “Both sides should draw lessons from the experience of the past 75 years, establish the right strategic perception, regard each other as partners and opportunities rather than rivals or threats, devote their valuable resources to development and revitalisation, and explore the correct way for neighbouring major countries to respect and trust each other, live in peace, pursue development together and achieve win-win cooperation,” he said.He added: “China and India should strengthen confidence, move towards each other, overcome disturbances, expand cooperation and consolidate the momentum of improvement in bilateral relations, so that the rejuvenation processes of the two great Eastern civilisations can reinforce and complement one another, providing the certainty and stability most needed for Asia and the world.”After the meeting, Jaishankar described the discussions as fruitful, noting they had “productive conversations on our economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity and bilateral exchanges.”Note: This report was updated with additional information at 10.45 am and 12.15 pm on August 19, 2025.