After ‘Stable’ Border Rhetoric, China Plays ‘Cool’

GOA: At the meeting of SCO foreign ministers, the media attention was largely focused on Pakistan’s attendance. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari became the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in over a decade, which led to questions about a so-called ‘breakthrough’ in bilateral ties. At the press briefing, External Affairs Ministers put all speculation to rest, calling out Pakistan as a state that justifies and promotes terrorism. He also spoke about his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the second time they met in three months, and reiterated India’s position: till the situation at the border is normal, overall ties cannot be normal. According to the Chinese media, Gang spoke about “cooling down the border situation”, which is different from his recent take that the border is stable. In this episode of ‘Simply Nitin’, StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale has more.