Jaishankar Reaffirms India’s Taiwan Policy As Wang Yi Promises To Resume Key Supplies

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday reaffirmed that India’s position on Taiwan remains consistent, emphasising that New Delhi maintains only economic and cultural ties, similar to the global approach. He conveyed this to visiting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi during their talks in New Delhi.

The meeting resulted in a significant breakthrough, with Wang assuring that China would resume long-delayed supplies of fertilizers, rare earth minerals, and tunnel boring machines (TBMs). These materials are crucial for India’s agriculture, auto industry, and infrastructure projects. Beijing had suspended these exports for nearly a year, affecting India’s supply chains.

Jaishankar had raised these concerns in his July visit to China, pressing for the resumption of urea, NPK, and DAP fertilizers, along with rare earths and TBMs. While trade and supply issues were the focus of Monday’s discussion, boundary matters were deliberately left aside as they will be taken up by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in the Special Representative-level talks.

The dialogue between Jaishankar and Wang was described as cordial, though the impact of U.S. policies loomed large. Both sides acknowledged that Washington’s stance could target India and China alike, making closer dialogue between them a necessity.

China’s commitment to resume critical exports is being seen as a major development, considering its substantial role in India’s fertilizer imports (about 30%), rare earth supplies for manufacturing, and TBMs used in road and urban infrastructure projects.

While border issues did not figure in this round, Doval and Wang are set to engage in detailed talks on Tuesday, focusing on de-escalation along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC). Although friction in Ladakh has eased, both armies continue to maintain significant deployments, underlining the need for further troop pullbacks.