Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected in New Delhi next week for discussions with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on the long-standing border issue, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The talks are likely to focus on measures to consolidate stability along the frontier, where both nations have worked to ease tensions since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020.
Wang’s visit precedes Modi’s trip to Tianjin, his first to China since 2018, where he is scheduled to meet President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had earlier represented India at the SCO ministerial meetings in June. During his Beijing visit, Jaishankar met Xi and “emphasised the importance of continued leadership guidance in advancing bilateral ties”.
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Relations between India and China had remained tense for over four years following the May 2020 intrusion by Chinese troops in Ladakh, which escalated into the Galwan clash that claimed 20 Indian soldiers and several Chinese lives.
Ties began to improve after Modi and Xi met on 23 October 2024 in Kazan, Russia, during the 16th BRICS Summit. Ahead of that meeting, both nations agreed to restart patrols in the Depsang area of Eastern Ladakh.
The leaders had then “welcomed the agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 in the India-China border areas”, with Modi underscoring the need to manage differences without disturbing peace and tranquillity.
In June this year, the two sides agreed to resume direct air services, facilitate the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, ease visa procedures, and share data on transnational rivers. India also announced plans to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens.
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