India's EAM Jaishankar meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, apprises him of recent development in bilateral ties
Jaishankar conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Xi Jinping.
In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Called on President Xi Jinping this morning in Beijing along with my fellow SCO Foreign Ministers. Conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu & Prime Minister @narendramodi. Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard."
Jaishankar is on an official visit to China to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting. On Monday, Jaishankar held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and spoke about the need for a far-seeing approach to bilateral ties and building a stable and constructive relationship.
In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Held detailed talks with Politburo Member and FM Wang Yi in Beijing this evening. Spoke about the need for a far-seeing approach to bilateral ties and building a stable & constructive relationship."
"Incumbent on us to address aspects related to the border, normalizing people-to-people exchanges and avoiding restrictive trade measures & roadblocks. Confident that on the foundation of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, ties can develop along a positive trajectory. Look forward to attending the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin tomorrow. India is committed to ensuring good outcomes and decisions," he added.
He also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on Monday and noted the improvement in bilateral ties. Jaishankar expressed confidence that discussions during his visit will maintain that positive trajectory. He expressed India's support for China's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Presidency.
"Pleased to meet Vice President Han Zheng soon after my arrival in Beijing today. Conveyed India's support for China's SCO Presidency. Noted the improvement in our bilateral ties. And expressed confidence that discussions during my visit will maintain that positive trajectory," Jaishankar posted on X.
Jaishankar arrived in China after concluding his visit to Singapore. This is External Affairs Minister's first visit to China since relations soured following the deadly military clash in Galwan in 2020.
Jaishankar's visit follows visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who had travelled to China in June for the SCO meetings. Wang Yi is also expected to visit India next month to meet NSA Ajit Doval -- part of a planned round of dialogue under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism aimed at resolving the decades-old boundary dispute.
The 2020 Galwan Valley standoff between India and China was the worst border clash in over 40 years, resulting in the death of soldiers on both sides. The incident sharply escalated tensions and brought bilateral ties to a historic low.
The decision to revive the SR dialogue and other dormant channels was reportedly taken during a brief exchange between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan, Russia, in October last year. There have been a few glimmers of positive movement, most notably the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after nearly five years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
6 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Will nuclear powers help keep nukes out of Southeast Asia?
Kuala Lumpur: As global powers vie for influence in Southeast Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is renewing its push towards nuclear disarmament. The ASEAN has long urged China, the US, the UK, Russia, and France to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) accords. Adopted by ASEAN in 1995, the SEANWFZ (also known as the Bangkok treaty) aims to keep the region free of "nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction" while allowing for civilian use of nuclear energy. Following the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur last week, the bloc's current chair Malaysia urged nuclear powers to "recognize the need to completely eliminate nuclear weapons." Beijing has already confirmed it will endorse SEANWFZ, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. "China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation," Hasan told reporters on the sidelines of an ASEAN diplomatic event last week. Will US and Russia also join SEANWFZ? Hasan also indicated that Russia, which owns the world's largest nuclear arsenal, will sign the agreement as well. While Moscow has yet to comment on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Malaysia in early July for a series of high-profile meetings. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in Kuala Lumpur last week for several multilateral and bilateral talks. However, it remains unclear if the US intends to sign the SEANWFZ. Both Washington and Moscow are keen to secure their influence in the region, including in the field of nuclear energy, as several ASEAN states are looking for outside partners to develop civilian nuclear programmes. A fading global order Partnerships with Washington, however, may not be as reliable as they once were. President Donald Trump's administration is pursuing a mercurial and shifting foreign policy, leaving Southeast Asia with the general sense that the rules and norms of the international order are crumbling, and the US' credibility and interest in the region are fading fast. Most Southeast Asian countries have reacted by advancing relations with Russia and China over the past few months, recognizing that Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, may be correct in saying that the international community is fragmenting into a "multipolar world order." This leaves room for China to expand its diplomatic clout at Washington's expense. By endorsing the SEANWFZ, Beijing wants to show that it "cares about ASEAN at the same time as the US is potentially tariffing Southeast Asian states and trying to use them to isolate China, which they don't want to do," Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, told DW. "China loses nothing because there's little likelihood anyway it would need to use nukes in Southeast Asia," he added. Also, Beijing can now emphasize the contrast between its own policy and the AUKUS pact involving the US, the UK and Australia. The agreement between the three nations allows for the use of nuclear-powered submarines in the Asia-Pacific. China deploying submarines in South China Sea Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, told DW that "China will absolutely not abide by the terms of the SEANWFZ." The SEANWFZ treaty commits its signatories not to move nuclear weapons through the region or its waterways. In recent years, however, China has been accused of "bunkering" its submarines in the South China Sea, a contested maritime area that several Southeast Asian states dispute with Beijing. In 2023, the Reuters news agency reported that China had begun to keep at least one nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine at sea at all times, with many patrolling the waters from Hainan to the South China Sea. Last year, the US military asserted that Beijing was preparing to deploy floating nuclear reactors near the artificial islands it has reclaimed in the South China Sea. Beijing wants to portray itself as reliableChina is believed to possess hundreds of operational nuclear warheads, and — according to the Pentagon — continues to expand its nuclear arsenal. "But that Beijing is willing to be the first outside nuclear power to sign the SEANWFZ is diplomatically smart and at least pays lip service to ASEAN centrality," Abuza noted, referring to the concept that ASEAN should be at the heart of broader Asia-Pacific diplomacy. "China is doing everything it can to portray itself as the responsible stakeholder in the region, committed to rules and norms. Beijing wants to paint Washington as the disruptor of the status quo and economic growth in the region," Abuza said. For political scientist and founder of the weekly ASEAN Wonk newsletter Prashanth Parameswaran, proper non-proliferation efforts would require more than just signing the SEANWFZ treaty. The vision of a regional nuclear-free zone has "historically carried normative weight" among some ASEAN states, including Malaysia, he told DW. However, Parameswaran points out that "no one in the region is under the illusion that this alone will necessarily restrain what nuclear powers will do or reverse the worrying state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime more generally."
Times of Oman
6 hours ago
- Times of Oman
India gets second GE-404 engine for LCA MK-1A, to receive 12 more by end of current fiscal
New Delhi: In a significant development, India on Monday received the second GE-404 engine from the US for the LCA Mark 1A fighter jet aircraft programme, Defence officials said. The engine has been received by the Public sector firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and it is expected to receive 12 more GE-404 engines by the end of this financial year. The engines will be fitted on the LCA Mark 1A fighter jets. The delivery of the engines had been delayed by more than a year due to supply chain issues faced by the American engine manufacturing firm. Indian Air Force has placed orders for 83 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets and a proposal to buy 97 more of these planes is at an advanced stage after the clearance from the Defence Ministry, officials said. Earlier this year, GE Aerospace delivered the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to HAL for the Light Combat Aircraft Mk 1A fighter jet. The HAL is planning to integrate the engines with the Mark1A fighters and supply over 10 of these planes to IAF. Recently, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Misra had visited the HAL facilities in Bengaluru and received the LCA Mark 2 project along with the Mark 1A programme. The LCA Mark 2 project is expected to be the replacement for the aging fleet of Mirage 2000, Jaguar and MiG-29 aircraft around the year 2035. Over 400 indigenous LCA aircraft are expected to be built by India with the American GE engine variants in the next over 10 years. More than Rs 9000 Crore have been sanctioned for the development of LCA Mk 2, an updated and more lethal version of LCA Tejas. To further promote indigenisation, including of the aircraft engine, Transfer of Technology for manufacturing of the GE engine in India was negotiated with GE during Prime Minister's visit to the US in June 2023. In the coming years, Tejas would be the largest fleet of fighter aircraft to be operated by the Indian Air Force.
Times of Oman
10 hours ago
- Times of Oman
India's EAM Jaishankar meets Chinese President Xi Jinping, apprises him of recent development in bilateral ties
Beijing: Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, along with fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers, called on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. During the meeting, Jaishankar apprised Xi of the recent development of bilateral ties. Jaishankar conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Xi Jinping. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Called on President Xi Jinping this morning in Beijing along with my fellow SCO Foreign Ministers. Conveyed the greetings of President Droupadi Murmu & Prime Minister @narendramodi. Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard." Jaishankar is on an official visit to China to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting. On Monday, Jaishankar held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and spoke about the need for a far-seeing approach to bilateral ties and building a stable and constructive relationship. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Held detailed talks with Politburo Member and FM Wang Yi in Beijing this evening. Spoke about the need for a far-seeing approach to bilateral ties and building a stable & constructive relationship." "Incumbent on us to address aspects related to the border, normalizing people-to-people exchanges and avoiding restrictive trade measures & roadblocks. Confident that on the foundation of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, ties can develop along a positive trajectory. Look forward to attending the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tianjin tomorrow. India is committed to ensuring good outcomes and decisions," he added. He also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing on Monday and noted the improvement in bilateral ties. Jaishankar expressed confidence that discussions during his visit will maintain that positive trajectory. He expressed India's support for China's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Presidency. "Pleased to meet Vice President Han Zheng soon after my arrival in Beijing today. Conveyed India's support for China's SCO Presidency. Noted the improvement in our bilateral ties. And expressed confidence that discussions during my visit will maintain that positive trajectory," Jaishankar posted on X. Jaishankar arrived in China after concluding his visit to Singapore. This is External Affairs Minister's first visit to China since relations soured following the deadly military clash in Galwan in 2020. Jaishankar's visit follows visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who had travelled to China in June for the SCO meetings. Wang Yi is also expected to visit India next month to meet NSA Ajit Doval -- part of a planned round of dialogue under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism aimed at resolving the decades-old boundary dispute. The 2020 Galwan Valley standoff between India and China was the worst border clash in over 40 years, resulting in the death of soldiers on both sides. The incident sharply escalated tensions and brought bilateral ties to a historic low. The decision to revive the SR dialogue and other dormant channels was reportedly taken during a brief exchange between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan, Russia, in October last year. There have been a few glimmers of positive movement, most notably the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra after nearly five years.
