Chinese foreign minister arrives in India for talks

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in India Thursday evening in the highest-level visit between the two countries after the ties came under severe strain following the eastern Ladakh standoff nearly two years ago.

Wang flew into New Delhi from Kabul and is set to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Friday morning.

It is learnt that the Chinese foreign minister’s unannounced visit is more to do with the geopolitical powerplay in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with China even signalling its willingness to assist Moscow in dealing with crippling economic sanctions.

In the talks, India is unlikely to shift its focus from the eastern Ladakh border row as it is expected to press for complete disengagement of troops from all the first points in the region.

The border issue is likely to figure extensively in the meeting between Wang and Doval who have been serving as the special representatives for boundary talks.

Both sides kept the visit under the wraps. It is not immediately clear whether the Indian side will facilitate a call on by Wang with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ukraine crisis is expected to be the other major issue in the talks. (PTI)