What could signal a shift in India-China relations, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to visit China next week. This visit would be Jaishankar’s first official visit to India’s neighbor in five years both countries have been trying to normalize relations after the border standoff in 2020.
During the journey, Jaishankar is expected to have a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. After the talks, he will visit Tianjin to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Minister’s July 14-15.
The visit comes shortly after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SCO defence ministers meeting in Qingdao, indicating recent high-level engagement between the two countries. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly following the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. However, there seems to be some cautious optimism from both sides as a result of recent developments.
According to reports, Jaishankar and Wang Yi are expected to discuss major questions, including long -term range (LAC) disputes, export of rare soil material for India, direct flights, Dalai Lama Succession case and reintroduction of India’s relationship with Pakistan.
Additionally, Wang Yi is likely to visit India later this month to hold another round of boundary talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval under the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue. Doval had visited Beijing in December and again last month for security-related SCO meetings.
Earlier in April, speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Jaishankar remarked that India-China ties were “moving in a positive direction,” though he acknowledged that full normalisation would require further effort.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met briefly in Kazan, where they agreed to resume diplomatic and military dialogue formats. Days before that, India and China had reached a disengagement agreement at two final friction points Demchok and Depsang after three years of military tension.
In another major step toward restoring people-to-people contact, the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra suspended since the pandemic resumed last month.
With China currently chairing the SCO, this round of meetings will be closely watched not only for regional diplomacy but also for signs of progress in India-China relations.
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