Foreign minister Wang to visit New Delhi, first high-level visit by Chinese official post Doklam standoff

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang. AP Photo

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to New Delhi to attend the meeting of Russia, India and China (RIC) Foreign Ministers on December 10 and hold talks with top Indian officials, his office announced on Wednesday. The Foreign Ministers’s visit would be the first high-level trip by a Chinese official to India after the 73-day Dokalam standoff. The impasse ended on August 28 after Chinese troops stopped building a key road close to India’s Chicken Neck corridor. India had objected to the construction highlighting its security concerns. The road was being built by the Chinese troops in the area also claimed by Bhutan.

China’s Foreign Ministery spokesperson Geng Shuang told media that Wang will hold talks with top Indian officials on sidelines of Russia, India and China (RIC) Foreign Ministers meeting. New Delhi will host the 15th RIC meeting on December 11. “According to our information, Wang will meet with the top officials of India and detailed information will be released in due course,” Geng was quoted as saying by PTI. During the RIC meeting, the three foreign ministers will exchange views on major international and regional issues of common concern and deepen trilateral pragmatic cooperation, he said.

“We believe under the joint efforts of the three parties, this meeting will achieve expected outcomes,” he said. It was previously reported in the media that the RIC meeting was planned for April this year but China’s Foreign Minister did not confirm dates owing to China’s protests over the Dalai Lama visiting Arunachal Pradesh in the same month.

Wang’s visit to Delhi is regarded significant as it would set tone for President Xi Jinping’s policy approach to India in his second term as the head of the ruling Communist Party of China.

(With PTI inputs)