Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to meet PM Narendra Modi today. What's on the agenda?
The meeting comes a day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said China and India want better relations on Monday. This is the latest sign of a thaw between the Asian rivals as they push to normalise relations amid unpredictable US trade policies.
Jaishankar made the remarks at a bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who is visiting India for the first time in three years.
'Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, both nations now seek to move ahead,' Jaishankar said in New Delhi on Monday. 'Differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict.'
Wang Yi will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, at 5:30 PM today, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The meeting assumes significance as it is taking place days before Modi's planned trip to China to attend the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
According to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Wang said that because 'unilateral bullying is prevalent,' the two sides should 'contribute to promoting the multipolarisation of the world. " Wang added that China and India should 'regard each other as partners and opportunities, not as opponents or threats.'
Narendra Modi is poised to visit China and hold meetings with President Xi Jinping later this month on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. If confirmed, it will be Modi's first visit to China in seven years.
Ties between the Asian neighbours deteriorated after a bloody border skirmish five years ago, but relations have recently been on the mend. Beijing has loosened curbs on urea exports, New Delhi has reinstated tourist visas for Chinese nationals, and a growing number of Indian businesses have been seeking partnerships with Chinese companies for deals, including technology transfers, Bloomberg reported.
Wang's visit is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes of 2020.
However, the trip also assumes significance in view of increasing tensions in India-US relations following President Donald Trumpdoubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent, which included an additional penalty of 25 per cent for purchasing Russian oil.
Reports suggest US President Donald Trump's tariffs on both countries' exports, as well as threats to penalise India for buying Russian oil, are adding urgency to normalise ties. Trump has slapped tariffs of 50 per cent over New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, a level that would decimate many Indian exporters.
Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro called India's purchases of Russian oil 'opportunistic and deeply corrosive' to efforts to halt Moscow's war machine, in a Financial Times column Monday.
Differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict.
Jaishankar said that 'overall, it is our expectation that our discussions would contribute to building a stable, cooperative and forward-looking relationship between India and China.'
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