External Affairs Minister Jaishankar Meets Chinese Vice President Han Zheng

By Sulagna Halder 

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar began his official visit to China on Monday, 14 July, marking his first trip to the country in five years and the first since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash that severely strained bilateral relations. Shortly after his arrival in Beijing, Jaishankar met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and reaffirmed India’s support for China’s presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), while expressing confidence in the steady improvement of bilateral ties.

“Pleased to meet Vice President Han Zheng soon after my arrival in Beijing today,” Jaishankar posted on social media platform X. “Conveyed India’s support for China’s SCO Presidency. Noted the improvement in our bilateral ties. And expressed confidence that discussions during my visit will maintain that positive trajectory.”

During the meeting, Jaishankar reiterated New Delhi’s support for Beijing’s ongoing SCO presidency and highlighted recent signs of stabilisation in the relationship between the two Asian neighbours. He made special reference to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, in October last year, which he said contributed significantly to the present phase of renewed engagement.

“India supports a successful Chinese presidency at the SCO. Our bilateral relationship, as you have pointed, has been steadily improving since the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October,” Jaishankar said.

He also noted the positive reception in India of the decision to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which had been suspended following the border tensions. “The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is also widely appreciated in India,” he added.

Pointing to the wider global landscape, the minister remarked on the importance of ongoing dialogue between the two countries in light of the current international environment. “Continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes. The international situation, as we meet today, is very complex. As neighbouring nations and major economies, an open exchange of views and perspectives between India and China is very important,” Jaishankar said.

This visit to China follows earlier high level interactions, including visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, both of whom travelled to China in June for SCO defence ministers’ and security advisors’ meetings.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Beijing from Singapore as part of his two nation diplomatic tour, is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi later in the day. The two ministers last met in February this year on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where both sides reiterated the need for building mutual trust and sustaining diplomatic dialogue.

The SCO foreign ministers’ meeting is scheduled to be held in Tianjin on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also expected to travel to India next month for discussions with NSA Ajit Doval under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism, aimed at resolving the long standing boundary dispute.

This visit by Jaishankar is being viewed as a key diplomatic step in India-China relations, signalling a cautious but deliberate effort to restore normalcy and cooperation in a post Galwan phase.