Amid strained ties in over the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong on Tuesday with a focus on the bilateral relationship and the “common interest” in its “stabilisation and progress”.
The meeting comes days after a U.S. Congressional delegation met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Dharamshala. After the meeting, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul said that Tibetans have the right to self-determination and should be allowed to practise their religion freely.
“Received Ambassador of China Xu Feihong this evening. Discussed our bilateral relationship and our common interest in its stabilization and progress. Wished him a successful tenure,” the external affairs minister said on X.
Following his meeting with Jaishankar, the Chinese ambassador said he was looking forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the “right direction”.
“Honored to call on External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar today. We exchanged views on China-India relations and other issues of common interest,” the envoy said on X. “Thanks for his best wishes. Look forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the right direction,” he said.
His appointment comes after an unusually long delay of 18 months amid strained relations between the two countries over the Ladakh military standoff. The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
With inputs from agencies.
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Chinese envoy meets EAM Jaishankar days after US panel calls on Dalai Lama
