Ties with China going through a 'very difficult phase': Jaishankar

India's relationship with China is going through a "very difficult phase" but recent discussions have yielded positive results in terms of easing the flow of logistics during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.

During a virtual session here, Jaishankar was asked about India-China relations and the outcome of his recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

"The last conversation was significantly focussed on the COVID pandemic and my discussions were essentially that COVID is something bigger and it is in our mutual interest to work together to deal with it and that’s what Foreign Minister Wang Yi told me as well," said Jaishankar.

The minister said Indian companies ordering supplies from China were encountering difficulties and his message to the Chinese minister had been that the best support they could offer would be to ease that process.

"After our conversation, things did move. Some of our airlines immediately got their approvals. The chain is flowing, which is very laudable," he said.

On the wider India-China relationship, the minister said a disengagement process remains ongoing but is yet to reach the desired de-escalation point at the border.

He said: "The relationship right now is going through a very difficult phase, because in violation of agreements and understandings of many, many years the Chinese have deployed a very large part of their military on and close to the Line of Actual Control without explanation.