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Mar 23, 2023

No Decision on China's SCO Summit Participation in India as Dates Not Yet Decided: Envoy

Chinese embassy’s Charge D’Affaires Ma Jia has said that the G-20 summit is unlikely to see a consensus over Ukraine.
Chinese embassy’s Charge D’Affaires Ma Jia at the briefing on March 22. Photo: Twitter/@China_Amb_India

New Delhi: China has not yet taken a decision on the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the SCO summit after receiving the Indian invitation as the summit date is yet to be finalised, said Chinese embassy’s Charge D’Affaires Ma Jia, adding that the G-20 summit is unlikely to see a consensus over Ukraine.

In a briefing for the media on Thursday, March 22, Ma confirmed that China has received an official invite for both SCO and G-20 summit.

India is the chair for the two multilateral groups. While the G-20 summit will be held on September 9-10, there is no date yet for the SCO leaders’ meeting in the summer. India had first proposed the SCO summit in June, but New Delhi would want it postponed as the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, is travelling to the US for a state visit at the time.

If the Chinese President does visit India for the SCO summit, it will be his first meeting with PM Modi since the start of the military stand-off at eastern Ladakh on April-May 2020.

Ma also indicated that it would be difficult to reach a consensus on Ukraine at the G-20 summit.

“As long as you are out of track and discussing prominent security issues on economic and financial platforms, it is very difficult to reach a consensus. In G20, we have this consensus principle. Even if one country does not agree, it is not a consensus,” she said.

She said the situation with regard to the Ukraine issue had “intensified” since the consensus at the G20 Summit at Bali and it was now “more difficult to reach the accommodation”, as per PTI.

Her remarks come against the backdrop of a joint statement issued following a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping which referred to the politicisation of multilateral meetings. “The two sides strongly condemn politicisation of multilateral platforms and attempts by certain countries to cram extraneous issues into the agenda of multilateral platforms and dilute the primary tasks of relevant mechanisms,” said the joint statement.

In her opening remarks, Ma said the current situation on the border was stable. She noted that the two Asian neighbours were maintaining communication through the established channels – Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation and the senior commander level meetings.

“There are difficulties, I have just said that. But, we have to face it. We are also confident that China and India do not want war. Neither of us wants a war. Neither of us wants confrontation along the border areas,” the top Chinese diplomat in India said, according to PTI.

She said the border issue has lived through history of many years, and it was not easy to reach an agreement. “That is why we keep on talking about it. We have to face the problems and we have to talk. I think the intention on both sides is to improve relations. Our two leaders already have consensus on that and I think we can find a way out,” said Ma.

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