Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit India on August 18 for talks under the Special Representative mechanism, reports said on Wednesday. The visit comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin later this month.
On August 8, China said it welcomes PM Modi’s participation in the SCO Summit.
At a briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated, “China welcomes Prime Minister Modi to China for the SCO Tianjin Summit. We believe the summit will be a gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results.”
He further added that the SCO will enter a new stage of ‘high-quality development’ marked by greater unity and coordination.
China will host the SCO Summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1.
Leaders from over 20 countries, including all SCO member states and heads of 10 international organisations, will attend. Officials said this will be the largest summit since the SCO’s inception.
PM Modi’s trip will also mark his first visit to China since the Galwan clash in 2020, which strained bilateral ties.
The breakthrough in talks follows an agreement between India and China on patrolling along the nearly 3,500-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) to end a four-year-long border standoff.
High-Level Engagements in Recent Months
In July, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited China for the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet. He held talks with Wang Yi and met President Xi Jinping.
In June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in China but refused to endorse the joint declaration, citing the omission of terrorism concerns.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also joined the SCO Security Council Secretaries’ meet in June. He urged members to reject double standards in fighting terrorism and take action against UN-proscribed groups like LeT and JeM.
Also Read: US Holds Counterterrorism Dialogue With Pakistan Despite Ongoing Concerns
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