What to Expect from EAM Jaishankar's Upcoming Visit to China Amidst Tensions?

EAM Jaishankar's Significant Visit to China

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is set to begin a three-day trip to China on Sunday to participate in the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin.

This visit marks Jaishankar's first official trip to China since the tensions escalated following the violent clash in Galwan Valley between Indian and Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June 2020.

A pivotal moment occurred when Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a crucial bilateral discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, during the BRICS Summit in October 2023. This was the first delegation-level meeting in nearly five years.

During this encounter, PM Modi emphasized that the foundation of India-China relations should rest on three principles: mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity, to ensure a positive and sustainable relationship.

Following this, several high-ranking officials, including National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, have visited Beijing for extensive talks on various complex matters.

In a recent address at the 20th meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of SCO Member States in Beijing, NSA Doval expressed India's serious concerns regarding the persistent threats posed by UN-designated terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which are state-supported and operate from Pakistan, alongside Al Qaeda and ISIS.

Highlighting the brutal Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor aimed at dismantling terror networks across the border, Doval stressed the urgent need to eliminate double standards in combating terrorism and to take decisive action against UN-listed terrorists and organizations.

During his visit, NSA Doval also met with Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the country's Foreign Minister.

The meeting focused on reviewing the latest developments in India-China relations and emphasized the importance of enhancing bilateral ties, including fostering greater people-to-people connections.

Simultaneously, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh engaged in a bilateral discussion with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, during the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting in Qingdao, where they deliberated on maintaining peace along the Indo-China border.