Indian Foreign Minister Makes First Visit to China in Five Years
(MENAFN) Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has arrived in China for his first trip in five years, signaling a renewed phase of warming relations between the two Himalayan neighbors.
Upon reaching Beijing, Jaishankar held talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng before heading to Tianjin to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers’ summit on Tuesday.
A Chinese state media reported Han’s remarks emphasizing that China and India are “major developing countries and important members of the Global South.” Han stressed the need for both nations to follow high-level guidance, advance practical cooperation, acknowledge each other’s concerns, and support steady, healthy, and stable growth in their bilateral ties.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement highlighting Jaishankar’s observation that relations between the two countries have been “steadily” improving. Jaishankar expressed optimism, saying, “I am confident that my discussions in this visit will maintain that positive trajectory.”
This diplomatic engagement follows last October’s agreement on a new border patrolling mechanism that has facilitated military disengagement and eased tensions following the deadly 2020 clashes in which 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers lost their lives.
Later that month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia—their first formal dialogue in five years since the Ladakh border clashes.
Jaishankar’s previous visit to China was in August 2019, shortly after India revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and divided the region into two union territories, including Ladakh, a strategically sensitive area bordering China. Military tensions in this region escalated dramatically in 2020.
During his meeting with Han Zheng, Jaishankar remarked, “The international situation, as we meet today…is very complex,” and underscored that as neighboring powers and key economies, “an open exchange of views and perspectives between India and China is very important.”
Last month, China hosted the SCO defense chiefs meeting in Qingdao, which ended without a joint statement after Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh declined to endorse it.
The SCO, founded in 2001, consists of 10 member countries: China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
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