Chinese Foreign Minister lands in India on an important unannounced visit

Chinese Foreign Minister lands in India on an important unannounced visit

NEW DELHI – Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has landed in New Delhi a day after he completed his Pakistan visit during which he took part in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) moot.

Reports in Indian media said the top Chinese diplomat landed in New Delhi on Thursday in the first visit by a senior leader from Beijing since two sides were involved in Ladakh standoff that resulted in the death of nearly two dozen troops.

During the brief visit, the Chinese dignitary is expected to meet Indian security agency chief Ajit Doval and external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Earlier, Yi has drawn criticism from the Modi-led government over comments about Indian occupied Kashmir. Speaking at OIC moot in Pakistan, Chinese FM said Beijing shares the same hope as the OIC on Kashmir.

Indian officials then responded and reject the ‘uncalled’ reference to India by Wang Yi. Meanwhile, the agenda of talks between New Delhi and Beijing is unclear, discussions over the Ukraine conflict were expected as both sides have not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kremlin counts both Asian countries as friendly powers, having cultivated diplomatic and economic ties.

On the other hand, relations between India and China turned frosty in June 2020 when troops of both sides were involved in a clash over the disputed section of the western Himalayas.