New Delhi, August 19 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday during a two-day visit to India aimed at easing strained ties and preparing ground for Modi’s trip to China later this month for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, India’s foreign ministry said.
Wang is due to arrive in New Delhi on Monday evening and will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar the same day. On Tuesday, he will chair the 24th round of Special Representatives dialogue on the boundary question with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval before calling on Modi at his residence, the ministry added.
The visit is seen as part of efforts to rebuild the relationship between the two Asian giants after a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in 2020 left ties severely damaged. Each side still has about 50,000 to 60,000 troops deployed along the contested Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh despite disengagement at friction points.
People familiar with the agenda said both sides would review the border situation and explore new confidence-building measures. Discussions are also expected to cover trade, the possible resumption of direct flights suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic, and regional cooperation.
The trip comes amid rising strains in India-U.S. relations after President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods and imposed an additional penalty for purchases of Russian crude oil.
Modi is scheduled to travel to Japan at the end of August and then head to the northern Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the SCO summit on Aug. 31–Sep. 1, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Bilateral ties showed signs of a thaw last year when Modi and Xi met in Kazan, Russia, and agreed to revive dialogue mechanisms. Since then, India has resumed issuing tourist visas for Chinese nationals and restored the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage.
China currently holds the rotating chair of the SCO, a regional security grouping that also includes Russia, Pakistan and Central Asian states.
