New Delhi: India and
China, armed with the goodwill created by designation of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council, are stepping up engagements to infuse momentum in bilateral partnership including coordination on key global challenges —
Afghanistan, Iran and trade protectionism.
Sushma Swaraj is expected to meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Kyrgyzstan at the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meet on May 20-21 in what will be the first ministerial level engagement since China decided to lift technical hold to designate Azhar under the 1267 Sanctions Committee. The two ministers are likely to explore measures to fight challenges emanating from US trade protectionism and withdrawal of waiver for Iranian oil imports, among other issues.
The meet could set the stage for a possible meeting between the Indian prime minister and the Chinese president in
Bishkek on the sidelines of the SCO Summit on June 14-15. The two leaders are also expected to meet later in June as part of RIC and BRICS groups on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in
Japan. The Chinese President is scheduled to visit India in the last quarter of this year for the second edition of the informal Summit.