- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers in New Delhi, making it the first such high-level visit of a Chinese leader to India.
- Relations between India and China have been strained since the eastern Ladakh military standoff between the two countries in May 2020. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
- The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that China is ready to work with all to ensure that the gathering will send a “positive signal” on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation.
- Experts see the revival of the in-person meetings between India and China as a new beginning and an opportunity to reduce the trust deficit between the two nations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to India this week to take part in the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting, the Foreign Ministry announced. At the invitation of his Indian counterpart Minster S Jaishankar, Foreign Minister Qin will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, the announcement said. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will attend the meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers in New Delhi, making it the first such high-level visit of a Chinese leader to India since March 2022.
Qin’s visit to India will be the first by the Chinese Foreign Minister after his predecessor Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi in 2019 to attend the Special Representatives dialogue on the border mechanism. Qin Gang is expected to have a meeting with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, on the side-lines of the foreign ministers’ meet where they are likely to assess the situation at the disputed border.
Relations between India and China have been strained since the eastern Ladakh military standoff between the two countries in May 2020. The two countries have held 17 high-level military commanders’ talks to resolve the standoff. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
India assumed the Presidency of the G20 on December 1, last year. The G20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. The member countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the USA.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China is ready to work with all to ensure that the gathering will send a “positive signal” on multilateralism, food and energy security and development cooperation. “As the main forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 should focus on addressing outstanding challenges in the field of international economy and development and play a greater role in promoting world economic recovery and global development,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning said.
Mr. Qin’s visit comes on the heels of the first in-person meeting between senior Indian and Chinese officials last week when Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Shilpak Ambule led a delegation to Beijing and held talks with senior Chinese border officials and also met with Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying.
Experts see the revival of the in-person meetings between India and China as a new beginning and an opportunity to reduce the trust deficit between the two nations.
