High-level talks as China’s FM visits India for 1st time since border tensions

Foreign minister S Jaishankar met China’s Wang Yi in Delhi on Friday for high-level talks as the Chinese foreign minister visited India for the first time since tensions arose at the border of the two countries in 2020.

Twenty Indian soldiers died in the line of duty in a clash where Beijing also suffered a loss of its troops.

The two foreign ministers are holding delegation level talks in the national capital. In a tweet, S Jaishankar shared a picture of the two of them together and wrote: “Greeted Chinese FM Wang Yi at Hyderabad House. Our discussions commence shortly.- (sic)”

This was shortly after the Chinese minister met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Delhi.

Ahead of the talks with his Chinese counterpart, S Jaishankar on Thursday had said: “Few would have anticipated … the turn that India’s relations with China have taken in the last two years. Any prudent policy therefore backs its posture with capabilities and deterrence. A big responsibility of Indian diplomacy, therefore, is to create the widest set of options for such contingencies.”

The talks also come as Russia’s offensive in Ukraine completes a month.

The two countries have held over a dozen rounds of talks since June 2020 clash. Thousands of troops remain on duty on border sides amid tensions.

Wang Yi, earlier this week, visited Pakistan. Before coming to India, he also visited Afghanistan. He is set to visit Nepal next.