Chinese envoy calls on EAM Jaishankar; focus on bilateral ties

New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Chinese ambassador Xu Feihong on Tuesday with a focus on bilateral relationship and the “common interest” in its “stabilisation and progress”, amid continuing strain in India-China ties over the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

Jaishankar also separately met envoys of New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

“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’.

Xu arrived in Delhi on May 10 after the position of Chinese ambassador remained vacant for nearly 18 months, the longest such gap in over four decades.

The envoy presented his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu on May 31 along with a number of newly appointed foreign envoys.

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.

On his meeting with Sri Lankan High Commissioner Kshenuka D Senewiratne, Jaishankar said they discussed recent developments in bilateral relations, including his visit to Colombo recently.