This meeting comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on August 31. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is set to visit India on August 18 for talks under Special Representatives mechanism. Sources have confirmed that the Chinese leader will meet with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
This meeting comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on August 31. This visit of the Chinese foreign minister comes as both India and China work towards rebuilding their ties since the strain caused by the 2020 border clash in Galwan.
Last month, External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar visited China to attend the SCO foreign ministers meeting. During this visit, the EAM also met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Before EAM Jaishankar’s visit, defence minister Rajnath Singh also visited China to take part in the SCO defence ministers’ meeting in June.
In the latest thaw between India and China, both nations have reportedly ordered their airlines to resume direct flights between New Delhi and Beijing. Furthermore, US president Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on India has also pushed New Delhi to reconsider its ties with China and work towards improving diplomatic relations.
What happened in 2020?
A seven-hour deadly conflict on June 15, 2020 led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, including a commanding officer along the Line of Actual Control between India and China.
While China initially only acknowledged casualties without disclosing numbers, reports said the Chinese army possibly suffered more than twice the casualties as India. This clash in the Galwan Valley marked a six-decade low in the bilateral relations between India and China.
However, as a bid to restore ties, both countries agreed to disengage their troops along eastern Ladakh and the Depsang and Demchok regions.
