Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit India next week for border talks; what's on the cards?
The top Chinese official will be in India to hold the 24th round of talks on the India-China border talk with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who is New Delhi's Special Representative of the matter.
'At the invitation of National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval, Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Chinese Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Wang Yi will visit India on 18-19 August 2025. During his visit, he will hold the 24th round of the Special Representatives' (SR) Talks on the India-China boundary question with India's SR, NSA Shri Doval,' the MEA said in a statement on the day.
'EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr. Wang Yi,' it added.
Earlier in the day, China also confirmed its Foreign Minister's visit to India.
Wang, along with NSA Doval, heads the Special Representatives dialogue mechanism aimed at addressing the vexed border dispute spanning the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Wang Yi's visit to India comes days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tour to China where he will attend the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit from August 31.
India and China have been working to improve their relationship in recent months, marked by several significant developments.
High-level talks between the two countries have resumed, including meetings between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, later this month.
Moreover, India and China have agreed to disengage and resume patrolling in the Depsang Plains and Demchok areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This move aims to reduce tensions and restore peace along the border.
Both the countries are bearing the heat of global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz.
Chinese and Indian officials have said in recent weeks that the two countries were discussing the resumption of border trade.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
a minute ago
- Business Standard
Centre removes cotton import duty till Sept 30 to aid textile sector
Giving temporary relief to the textile and garment industry amid concerns over revenue loss from higher US tariffs, the finance ministry on Monday removed the 11 per cent duty on raw cotton imports for a period of 42 days till September 30. The exemption will benefit the textile chain — yarn, fabric, garments and made-ups — and provide relief to the textile industry and consumers. Through a notification by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, the government removed the basic customs duty and the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC) on cotton imports from August 19 to September 30. The removal of import duty on cotton was a long-pending demand of industry bodies such as the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI). This move is crucial in making the industry competitive, as it requires high-quality, contamination-free cotton to meet global quality compliance standards for exports. Removal of duty on raw cotton is expected to have a salutary effect on cotton prices in India. Although the move may not result in large gains through new shipments, industry players expressed hope that the exemption would be extended. It comes as an immediate confidence booster for the industry troubled by the higher US tariff of 50 per cent. Exporters have either halted shipments to the US or are fulfilling orders at a loss, while American retail giants including Walmart, Target, Amazon, TJX Companies, Kohl's, Gap Inc., and H&M have asked their Indian suppliers to hold consignments until tariff clarity emerges. India has set a target of achieving textile exports worth $100 billion by 2030. However, it is at a steep competitive disadvantage in the American market. While Bangladesh and Vietnam face tariffs of 20 per cent and Indonesia and Cambodia 19 per cent, India is saddled with 50 per cent. Even China, at 30 per cent, fares better. Exporters fear not only revenue losses but also the prospect of ceding market share once again to rivals. The US is India's largest market for textile and apparel exports. According to CITI, India's exports to the US rose to $5.36 billion, up 12 per cent from $4.79 billion during the first six months of calendar 2024, ranking the country third. Vietnam, now the second-largest supplier, registered $8.54 billion worth of exports, a rise of 19 per cent. Bangladesh rebounded strongly after last year's political turmoil with a 24 per cent surge to $4.36 billion. China, still the largest supplier, saw a 16 per cent decline to $9.34 billion.


NDTV
9 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Make In India Need Not Become Make All That India Needs": RBI Ex-Governor
New Delhi: Sounding a note of caution, former RBI Governor D Subbarao on Monday said that 'Make in India' should not transform into 'Make all that India needs' as it would hurt investments in the country and impact productivity. Subbarao further said the punitive 50 per cent tariffs on Indian exports imposed by the US will raise the costs of Indian goods in the most important overseas market, which is America. "If 'Make in India' degenerates into 'Make all that India needs', we risk losing the chance to attract investment away from China. "The tariffs remind us that openness, not isolation, is the path to sustainable growth," he told PTI in an interview. Subbarao said the success of 'Make in India' hinges on competitiveness, not protectionism. "Atmanirbhar Bharat, an aspiration that the Prime Minister reiterated in his Independence Day speech, must mean strategic self-reliance in sensitive areas like defence and energy, not blanket self-sufficiency," he said. According to him, 'Make in India' was conceived as positioning the country as an export-driven manufacturing hub-making in India, not just for India, but for the world. "Punitive US tariffs cut directly into this ambition by raising the cost of Indian goods in our most important overseas market," Subbarao said, adding that investors considering India as an alternative to China in their China+1 diversification strategy will hesitate to lock into an India that is saddled with the highest tariffs in Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, had said that for a nation, the biggest basis for self-respect ('atmasamman') is still 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance). "And, the basis for 'Viksit Bharat' is also 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'". Responding to a question on impact on the impact of 50 per cent tariffs on India's exports and competitiveness, Subbarao said America is India's single largest export market, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of our total exports and over 2 per cent of GDP. "A 50 per cent tariff - even after exempting pharma and electronics - would hit at least half of our exports, especially in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, gems & jewellery, and leather," he said. Subbarao also pointed out that the current exemptions on pharma and electronics are not permanent; ongoing reviews could bring them under tariff in the future "More worrying is that India now faces the highest tariff in Asia, far above Bangladesh (20 per cent), Vietnam (20 per cent), and Indonesia (19 per cent). This undermines our China+1 aspiration at a critical moment," he said. The former RBI Governor noted that the joint pledge by Modi and Trump at their February meeting to more than triple bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 now looks unrealistic. "While assessing the potential impact on our exports, we must also reckon with the possibility of China dumping in world markets to offset the loss of its US market. "To the extent these are markets where we compete, our exports to destinations outside of the US will also be hit," he said. Asked if it is at all possible for India to yield a little in giving access to the US in the agriculture and dairy sector, Subbarao said agriculture and dairy are politically sensitive sectors in India, providing livelihoods to millions, and tied closely to the country's food security. "A blanket opening to US imports is neither feasible nor desirable. "However, some calibrated flexibility could help unlock the impasse in negotiations," he said. According to him, this might mean limited tariff-rate quotas, selective product lines, and sanitary and phytosanitary alignment in exchange for significant gains in US market access for India's exports. Noting that any such opening should be phased, targetted, and paired with a strong backstop for farmers - investment in cold chains, productivity upgrades, and rural support programs, Subbarao said," India must protect its red lines but should not reject pragmatic compromises that deliver broader trade benefits." Asked if it is possible to pare down Russian oil imports, he said if India were to suddenly pivot from Russia to the Gulf, global oil prices would spike because neither US shale nor OPEC can ramp up supply quickly. "The effect would be to raise the global crude price, hurting India's current account, weakening the rupee, and fuelling inflation pressures," Subbarao said, adding that, in short, moving away is not a simple solution. He observed that the pragmatic course is gradual diversification - adding Middle Eastern and African barrels over time - while retaining flexibility to protect national energy security. "Currently, we import about 1.7 million barrels a day of Russian oil. There is an argument that since the Russian discount has fallen to USD 5 per barrel, the cost of switching away is less than 0.1 per cent of GDP," he added. On the impasse on India-US trade talks and what should be India's negotiating strategy going forward, Subbarao said a balanced agreement is possible if both sides focus on comparative advantages rather than deficits. "Our strategy should be pragmatic: resist emotional reactions, identify win-win sectors, and push for preferential access in labour-intensive industries, while offering selective concessions where feasible," he said. For India, America is the largest partner and one of the few countries with which it enjoys a trade surplus.


Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
EAM Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talk trade, push for stability
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on trade restrictions and other key issues, saying the two nations must move forward after "a difficult period in our relationship". The two ministers also exchanged views on global developments, including the Ukraine conflict and US tariffs. "Having seen a difficult period in our relationship, our two nations now seek to move ahead. This calls for a candid and constructive approach from both sides. In doing so, we must be guided by the three mutuals - respect, sensitivity and interest. Differences must not turn into disputes, nor competition into conflict," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks. Wang Yi is on a two-day visit to India ahead of PM Narendra Modi's China trip for the SCO Summit, where he may also meet President Xi Jinping. He will hold the next round of Special Representative-level talks with NSA Ajit Doval on Tuesday, and also meet Modi. Talks covered economic and trade issues, pilgrimages, people-to-people contacts, river data sharing, border trade, connectivity and bilateral exchanges. Jaishankar also raised concerns - notably Beijing's trade restrictions - which he had flagged during his China visit in July. Live Events China has halted DAP fertiliser exports to India without any official notice. Resumption is on the agenda. Efforts are also under way to restore imports of rare earth magnets and pharmaceuticals from China. The two ministers also discussed maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control. Jaishankar stressed in his opening remarks that border issues were crucial, "as positive momentum in ties rests on the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquillity along the border. The de-escalation process must also move forward." "We seek a fair and balanced multipolar world order, including a multipolar Asia. Reformed multilateralism is the need of the hour. There is an urgent need to maintain and enhance stability in the global economy. The fight against terrorism in all its forms remains a major priority." The two ministers also discussed issues that "serve both our interests and address our concerns," as well as the SCO agenda ahead of the summit China is hosting from August 31.