Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will begin a two-day visit to India on Monday, during which he will meet External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar for high-level bilateral discussions.
The visit is viewed as part of continuing efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to rebuild ties strained since the Galwan Valley clashes of 2020.
Wang Yi’s trip also comes at a sensitive time, as India’s relations with the United States face new strains following President Donald Trump’s decision to double tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent, including an extra 25 percent penalty linked to India’s purchases of Russian oil.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Wang will arrive in New Delhi around 4:15 pm and meet Jaishankar at 6:00 pm for talks on a wide range of issues. On Tuesday morning, he is scheduled to hold another round of the Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, who, along with Wang, is designated for such negotiations.
Later on Tuesday, at 5:30 pm, the Chinese foreign minister will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. The meeting comes just ahead of Modi’s upcoming trip to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin later this month.
The talks are expected to focus on confidence-building measures to ensure “durable peace and tranquillity” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), as well as trade matters and the potential resumption of direct flight services between the two countries.
Although both sides have disengaged troops at certain friction points, the larger process of de-escalation remains incomplete, with around 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers still deployed on each side in eastern Ladakh.
The military standoff began in May 2020, and the deadly clashes at Galwan in June that year severely damaged bilateral relations. Since then, India and China have been working to revive dialogue mechanisms, including through high-level meetings.
In October 2024, Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan, Russia, where they agreed to revive various channels of engagement. This was followed by NSA Doval’s December 2024 visit to China for SR talks with Wang Yi.
Both sides have since initiated steps to mend ties, such as reviving the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and resuming tourist visas for Chinese nationals. Talks are also underway to restart direct flights between the two countries, which have been suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic and have not been restored due to border tensions.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and EAM Jaishankar have both travelled to China in recent months to attend SCO-related meetings.