new Delhi: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Delhi on Thursday evening. tell that This is the first highest-level visit between India and China since the border standoff in eastern Ladakh nearly two years ago. Wang flew from Kabul to New Delhi on his unannounced visit and sources claim that Yi will hold talks with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Friday morning.
According to the information, the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister has more to do with the geopolitical turmoil in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine than bilateral relations. Interestingly, there has been no official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Chinese government regarding Wang’s visit. Both sides kept the visit a secret.
In Friday’s talks, the Indian side is unlikely to deflect attention from the military standoff in eastern Ladakh as it is expected to press for a complete withdrawal of troops from all remaining friction points in the region.
The boundary issue is likely to be discussed extensively in the meeting between Wang and Doval as he is acting as the Special Representative (SR) for the border talks between the two countries. The Ukraine crisis is expected to be the other major issue in the talks. Unlike many other major powers, India has not yet criticized Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and has refrained from voting on a UN forum condemning the Russian attack.
However, it is not yet clear whether the Indian side will facilitate a call between Wang and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
China has close ties with Russia and is signaling a willingness to assist Moscow in dealing with severe economic sanctions announced by the US and other Western countries after the Russian attack on Ukraine a month ago.
Wang began a two-day visit to Pakistan on Tuesday primarily to attend a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as a special guest. After concluding his visit to Islamabad, he traveled to Afghanistan and held extensive talks with Afghan leaders in Kabul on Thursday. The Chinese Foreign Minister is also scheduled to visit Kathmandu from March 25 to 27.
first published:March 24, 2022, 11:18 pm