Jaishankar meets new Chinese envoy, stresses need for stabilisation and progress

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar highlighted the need for “stabilisation and progress” in India-China relations during a meeting with Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong on Tuesday

This was the first meeting between Jaishankar and Xu, who arrived in New Delhi last month. Tuesday’s meeting was held against the backdrop of the dragging military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that is now into its fifth year.

“Discussed our bilateral relationship and our common interest in its stabilization and progress,” Jaishankar said in a post on X after his meeting with Xu.

Jaishankar has maintained that the overall relationship with China cannot be normalised without peace and tranquillity on the border. The face-off in the Ladakh sector of the LAC has taken bilateral ties to a six-decade low.

On the other hand, China has contended that the border issue should be put in its “appropriate place” in the overall relationship while the two sides move forward in areas such as trade and investment.

Xu, in a separate post on X, said he and Jaishankar had exchanged views on bilateral relations and “other issues of common interest”.

Without any reference to the standoff on the LAC, Xu added: “Look forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the right direction.”

Since his arrival in New Delhi, Xu has said several times that he will work to improve the relationship with India.

Despite more than two dozen rounds of diplomatic and military talks since 2020, India and China have been unable to resolve several “friction points” on the LAC, including Depsang and Demchok. Both sides have arrayed more than 50,000 troops each in the Ladakh sector.

Jaishankar held a separate meeting with Kuwait ambassador Meshal Mustafa Jasim Alshemali and discussed bilateral relations, interests of the Indian community and the welfare of Indian workers in the West Asian country, he said on X.

A recent fire in a building housing foreign workers in Southern Kuwait resulted in the death of 46 Indians.

Jaishankar also met Sri Lanka’s high commissioner Kshenuka D Senewiratne and discussed recent developments in bilateral relations, including his visit to Colombo.