*Chinese foreign minister will make a surprise stop for talks in New Delhion Friday, an Indian official said, though neither side has formallyannounced what would be the highest level visit since border clashes souredrelations two years ago.*
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has attended a conference of the Organization ofIslamic Cooperation in Pakistan this week and is set to also visit Nepal onFriday, as part of a tour of South Asia.
The Indian government source, who requested anonymity, said Wang wasexpected to meet with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar andNational Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and while the agenda was unclear,discussions over the Ukraine conflict were expected.
India’s foreign ministry declined to comment. A Chinese foreign ministryspokesperson said at a daily news briefing on Wednesday that he had noinformation to offer at the moment.
Neither China or India have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia,which refers to its actions as a “special military operation”, counts bothChina and India as friendly powers, having cultivated diplomatic andeconomic ties since the Cold War era.
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Relations between China and Indian became fraught in June 2020, when 20Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed during a high altitude clashin a disputed section of the western Himalayas.
India has restricted many Chinese firms from operating in the country sincethen.
Wang said at an annual news briefing in Beijing this month that Asia’s twolargest nations should help each other accomplish goals, instead of“draining each others’ energies”.
