(TibetanReview.net, Mar23’22) – China’s Foreign Minister Mr Wang Yi will visit India over Mar 24-25, after his ongoing trip to Pakistan and before travelling to Nepal as part of an effort to put bilateral ties back on rails after the PLA aggression in East Ladakh in May 2020, reported the hindustantimes.com Mar 22. It will be the highest-level visit from Beijing since deadly clashes along the Ladakh border in 2020.
Wang, who is also a State Councilor, will meet with India National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, reported the bloomberg.com Mar 23, citing an official familiar with the matter.
Their discussions will focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine and their own seemingly irresoluble Himalayan conflict.
Although India is categorical that normalization of bilateral ties with China is dependent on peace and tranquillity all along the LAC with the restoration of the Apr 2020 status quo ante in East Ladakh, the other Indian worry is the burgeoning trade deficit with Beijing with the figure climbing upwards of USD 80 billion, said the hindustantimes.com report.
Wang comes to New Delhi after attending the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) Foreign Minister’s meeting Mar 22-23 as a special invitee in Islamabad. While in Islamabad, Wang assured Pakistan Beijing’s “firm” support in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity “no matter what changes” internationally or within the two countries, in an apparent show of strength against regional rival India, noted another hindustantimes.com report Mar 22.
Wang was stated to have conveyed China’s message of unequivocal support to Pakistan during a joint press conference with his counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.