Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday, further advancing the bilateral ties between India and China.
Wang Yi highlighted the progress made since the landmark meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, in 2024. According to Wang, both sides have implemented the key agreements reached during the summit, with positive interactions occurring at all levels to accelerate the improvement of China-India relations.
“The two sides should seize the opportunity, meet each other halfway, and commit to mutual understanding, mutual support, and mutual achievement, rather than mutual suspicion and alienation,” Wang Yi said during the meeting. He added that enhancing relations between the two countries is aligned with the fundamental interests of their peoples and contributes to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.
In his remarks, Foreign Secretary Misri acknowledged the ongoing positive dialogue between India and China, emphasizing the fruitful outcomes of various meetings held in accordance with the consensus from Kazan. He also expressed India’s commitment to celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations with China and reaffirmed India’s full support for China’s chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
“The two countries have conducted a series of beneficial dialogues and resolved differences, leading to the restart of practical cooperation across several sectors,” Misri said.
Misri is currently on a two-day visit to Beijing for the Foreign Secretary-Vice Minister mechanism meeting, which focuses on the next steps for improving India-China relations in political, economic, and people-to-people domains. The resumption of this bilateral mechanism follows the leadership-level agreement between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi to enhance cooperation.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that Misri’s visit would cover all areas of bilateral interest. Responding to questions about key issues such as visa facilitation and direct air connectivity, Bagchi emphasized that these matters would be discussed during the upcoming talks between Misri and Chinese officials.
Additionally, when asked about the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Jaiswal assured that it would be addressed during the discussions as part of the ongoing dialogue on issues of mutual interest.
India and China had previously reached an agreement in October 2024 regarding patrolling arrangements in the Depsang Plains and Demchok—two sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)—as part of ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions and manage disputes.
(With ANI inputs)