EAM S Jaishankar Heads To China For SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meet

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will begin a three-day official visit to China today to participate in the SCO Security Meet in Tianjin.

This marks his first visit to China since the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020 that severely strained India-China relations.

Diplomatic reset following PM Modi-Xi meeting

Jaishankar’s visit comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a landmark bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2023.

It was the first delegation-level engagement between the two leaders in nearly five years.

During the meeting, PM Modi emphasised that for India-China ties to improve, they must rest on mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity.

His message set the tone for a renewed push toward normalising relations.

Following the Prime Minister’s meeting, several top Indian officials travelled to China to continue diplomatic engagements.

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri have each visited Beijing to hold in-depth discussions on critical bilateral and regional issues.

NSA Doval highlights terror threat at SCO Security Meet

At the 20th Meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of SCO Member States held in Beijing last month, NSA Doval raised serious concerns over the persistent threats from United Nations Security Council-designated terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al Qaeda, ISIS, and their affiliates.

Referring to the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor, Doval urged member states to abandon double standards on terrorism and take decisive action against UN-proscribed terrorists and networks.

During his visit, Doval also met Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister and Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Both sides reviewed the recent progress in bilateral ties and discussed ways to enhance people-to-people connections and promote broader cooperation.

In a parallel diplomatic effort, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting in Qingdao.

The ministers conducted detailed discussions on maintaining peace and stability along the India-China border.

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