S Jaishankar may discuss LAC with China's Wang in Bali

Foreign minister S Jaishankar is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Bali later this week as part of efforts to end impasse along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

The meeting in Indonesia on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meet was planned shortly after the new Indian ambassador in Beijing called on Wang to take forward ties that has been adversely impacted by the Galwan killings and Beijing's intransigence to disengage from all the friction points.

Earlier this year when Wang travelled to India, Jaishankar had told the visiting minister that the situation in the border areas was abnormal and disputes should be addressed without using force. Nor should there be attempts to unilaterally change the status quo, Jaishankar had told Wang. Similar message is expected to be conveyed if Jaishankar meets Wang in Bali, ET has learnt.

Announcing Jaishankar's visit, the MEA said: "At the foreign ministers' meeting, ministers will deliberate on issues of contemporary relevance, such as strengthening multilateralism and current global challenges including food and energy security. During the visit, external affairs minister is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other G20 member states."

The 24th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held in May and it was decided to hold the 16th round of the senior commanders meeting to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector.