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India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Scheduled To Visit China On January 26-27

This visit is a direct outcome of the discussions at the leadership level between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, most notably during their meeting in Kazan last October.

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India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Scheduled To Visit China On January 26-27

VIKRAM MISRI


India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, is scheduled to visit Beijing on January 26-27 for a crucial meeting under the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister mechanism between India and China. This meeting will be pivotal in shaping the next phase of diplomatic, political, economic, and people-to-people relations between the two Asian giants.

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Both countries are attempting to stabilize bilateral ties, which have been strained over the past few years due to tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and other geopolitical issues.

This visit is a direct outcome of the discussions at the leadership level between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, most notably during their meeting in Kazan last October. That agreement set the stage for resuming dialogue that was aimed at solving pending issues and generally improving relations. It reflects shared interest in continuing diplomatic engagement to ease tensions and foster cooperation in key areas.

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The Foreign Secretary’s visit is expected to address several priorities related to the normalization of issuing of visa and direct operating flights between India and China. Another long-standing source of conflict surrounding the current border standoff has unavoidably continued to be a top priority. The visit is expected to build on the momentum from previous exchanges, including the discussions in December between China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Resumption of Flights and Visa Policies

One of the other key areas of emphasis on the Misri agenda relates to revival in direct India-China flight route facilities. Unrestricted air connections were a vital step missing so far in between countries, but for the pre-and post-pandemic world as well. As more regular international flights pick up from next year, such aspects will ease up business-to-business, business-to-tourist, or diplomat-to-government connectivity.

Visa policies will be another important aspect. The curtailment of regular visa services during the pandemic and subsequent curbs have restricted Indian nationals’ travel to China and Chinese nationals’ visitation to India. Restoration of a relatively smoother visa issuance process would likely open the doors for further exchanges in terms of tourism, education, business, and cultural diplomacy.

Border Issues

The most contentious issue and that continues to give shape to India-China relations is the issue of the continuing border dispute. Normalization, therefore, becomes inescapably linked with an end to hostilities across the border: “Peace and normalcy are back to becoming essential preconditions” for returning normal ties to place. Distrust built through the recent flare-ups, most particularly the confrontation at Galwan Valley in June 2020, has put tens of thousands of troops on either side of the LAC.

Positive outcomes are beginning to emerge from recent attempts to reduce tensions between China and India. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval agreed to patrol the border. Troops from Demchok and Depsang, two disputed areas, have disengaged as part of this agreement. In regions where the two nations disagree over borders, the Indian and Chinese militaries have been conducting coordinated patrols since November and now do so once a week.

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