Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Chinese Foreign Minister and Politburo member Wang Yi at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi, as part of Wang’s ongoing three-day visit to India. The meeting came amid cautious signs of improvement in bilateral ties following the 2020 border standoff in eastern Ladakh.
According to the official government statement, Wang Yi handed over a message and formal invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin. The Chinese minister also conveyed his “positive assessment” of talks held earlier with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, including the 24th round of Special Representatives’ dialogue on the boundary issue.
The Prime Minister underscored the importance of “maintaining peace and tranquillity on the border” and reiterated India’s commitment to a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution” of the boundary question. He welcomed what he described as “steady and positive progress” in relations since his meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, highlighting cooperation built on “mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.” He also noted the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as a sign of this progress.
Thanking Xi for the SCO invitation, Modi conveyed his acceptance and expressed support for China’s presidency of the summit, while stressing that “stable, predictable and constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional and global peace and prosperity.”
Wang, for his part, told Indian officials that the setbacks of recent years “were not in our interest,” but that “stability has now been restored at the borders.” He welcomed Modi’s forthcoming participation in the SCO Summit, remarking that “history and reality show that a healthy relationship between India and China serves the long-term interests of both countries.”
NSA Ajit Doval earlier noted an “upward trend” in the situation, crediting the leadership-level meeting in Kazan for setting a “new environment” that had allowed progress in both security and bilateral exchanges. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, while affirming the importance of maintaining momentum, stressed that “peace and tranquillity in the border areas” remained the essential foundation for any forward movement in ties and underlined counter-terrorism cooperation as a key priority.
