Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing geopolitical realignments, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India next week to discuss border issues with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to China for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, to be held there on August 31 and September 1.
During his visit, PM Modi is likely to announce the resumption of air travel between the two countries, which have remained suspended since 2020.
Wang Yi’s sudden visit comes ahead of PM Modi going to Tianjin for the SCO Summit, his first trip to China since 2018, where he will be joined by Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin of China and Russia, respectively, among others.
In June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the SCO ministerial meetings.
Dr. Jaishankar had also met President Xi Jinping in Beijing and briefed him on recent developments in India-China relations while emphasising the importance of continued leadership guidance in advancing bilateral ties, the media reported on Wednesday.
Tense bilateral relations between the two countries stabilised gradually after the May 2020 intrusion by Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh, which triggered the Galwan Valley clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers and several on the Chinese side as well.
After over four years, PM Modi met Jinping on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit at Kazan on October 23, 2024, marking the revival of bilateral ties.
Ahead of that meeting, then, India and China had agreed to restart patrols in the Depsang area of Eastern Ladakh.
The two leaders welcomed the agreement for complete disengagement and resolution of issues that arose in 2020 in the India-China border areas. PM Modi had underscored the importance of properly handling differences and disputes and not allowing them to disturb peace and tranquillity.
In June, both the countries agreed to resume direct air services, Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for pilgrims, take steps towards visa facilitation, and also share data on transnational rivers.
Last month, the Indian Embassy in China said India is set to resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens.