New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar met with Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong on Tuesday (June 25), marking their first encounter since Beijing appointed a new envoy to New Delhi following a long hiatus.
The minister tweeted about his meeting with the Chinese envoy on Tuesday, which was part of a series of meetings with other recently accredited ambassadors from Kuwait, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
On his X (formerly Twitter) account, Jaishankar posted that he discussed “bilateral relationship and our common interest in its stabilization and progress” with the Chinese ambassador.
The Chinese ambassador on his own X account noted that they “exchanged views on China-India relations and other issues of common interest”. Xu also wrote that he looked forward “to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the right direction”.
Honored to call on External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar today. We exchanged views on China-India relations and other issues of common interest. Thanks for his best wishes. Look forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations… pic.twitter.com/LQtRf9Cva4
— Xu Feihong (@China_Amb_India) June 25, 2024
India and China are still in the middle of a military stand-off in eastern Ladakh, which began in April-May 2020. The stand-off resulted in the first fatalities in combat at the boundary in four decades. While several friction points have been ‘resolved’, there has been no resolution in two strategic areas of Depsang and Demchok.
The third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi began on a rocky note, with China objecting to his tweet thanking the President of Taiwan for his wishes, as well as to the visit of a US delegation meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Among world leaders, the Chinese President Xi Jinping is the only one to have not send good wishes to Modi on his re-election. The Chinese Premier Li Qiang did send good wishes after Modi’s inauguration.
