(TibetanReview.net, Feb11’26) – China has said Feb 10 that it “understands and respects” India’s aspirations for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), but stopped short of the all-important commitment to support it. Nevertheless, livemint.com Feb 11 called the remark significant. Also, China’s Foreign Ministry said that the two countries should view each other as partners rather than competitors.
Notably, when India made its application in 2022, China was the only permanent member that did not support India’s bid to become a member of the UNSC, the report said.
The remark was made by Chinese Executive Vice Foreign Minister (EVFM) Ma Zhaoxu during a Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi on Feb 10 with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The visit of the senior Chinese official to India from Feb 8 to 10 was for the BRICS Sherpa Meeting.
A Sherpa meeting is a preliminary, high-level diplomatic gathering where personal representatives—”Sherpas”—of government leaders meet to negotiate, build consensus, and finalize agenda items before a main summit.
“The Chinese side expressed its support for a successful BRICS Summit in India. EVFM (Ma Zhaoxu) also conveyed that China understands and respects India’s aspirations for UNSC membership,” the report quoted India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as saying in an official statement.
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Earlier, following India’s failed application in 2022, then Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, responded to the Lok Sabha on Jul 22, 2022, that four out of the five permanent UNSC members bilaterally expressed official affirmations of support for India’s candidature.
The UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members, elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. The five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — also have veto power over any decision of the UNSC other than on “procedural” matters.
Despite China’s known antipathy towards accommodating India in the UNSC club of currently five permanent members, or, indeed, any expansion of the club of five, New Delhi has continued to show optimism for its prospects. Diplomacy is, after all, the art of the possible.
In Apr 2024, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called it “inevitable” amid international momentum favouring its bid. “There is a feeling across the world that this (five permanent countries) should change, and India should get a permanent seat. I see this feeling increasing every year. We will definitely get it. But nothing big is ever achieved without hard work…we will have to work hard, and this time we will have to work even harder,” the report quoted him a saying.
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At the Feb 10 Strategic Dialogue, India and China underlined the importance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas for overall progress in bilateral relations, said Indian media reports.
According to the MEA statement, the two countries exchanged views on a wide range of issues across bilateral, regional, and international affairs, with discussions primarily focusing on recent progress in stabilising and rebuilding bilateral ties and on ways to advance engagement.
Both sides have reiterated their commitment to implement guidance from their leaders, including the need to approach bilateral issues, particularly trade-related concerns, from a political and strategic perspective.
The discussions have also focused on further progress after the successful resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the need to conclude an updated Air Services Agreement, visa processing and promotion of people-to-people exchanges.
The discussions also covered multilateral cooperation, including during India’s BRICS Chairmanship this year, the report said.
Also, following the Ma-Misri meting in New Delhi on Feb 10, China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries should view each other as partners rather than competitors and properly manage their differences, according to in.investing.com Feb 10.
The report cited the ministry as saying the two officials held a “friendly, in-depth exchange of views” during their strategic dialogue. Both sides expressed the belief that China and India are partners rather than competitors and should see each other as opportunities, not threats.
Ma’s visit was stated to be part of a series of high-level Chinese diplomatic engagements with India aimed at improving bilateral relations. These efforts follow a meeting between the leaders of the two countries in China last year, which sought to reset ties that had deteriorated after a border clash in 2020, the report noted.