Picture : Twitter / ANI
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a crucial three-day visit to China, has said India-China relations should be a factor of stability at a time when the world is facing an uncertain situation.
Jaishankar, who arrived here on Sunday, called on Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan at the Zhongnanhai, the picturesque imperial residential complex where top Chinese leaders reside.
He later had a restricted meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi followed by a delegation-level meeting.
In his opening remarks during the meeting with Vice President Wang, considered a confidant of President Xi Jinping, Jaishankar said, We reached a consensus in Astana two years ago that at a time when the world is more uncertain, our relationship should be a factor of stability .
And I am very pleased today to come in the aftermath of the Wuhan summit where the consensus between our leaders on global and regional issues has expanded,” he said, referring to the summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi.
Last year’s Wuhan Summit between Modi and Xi was the first informal summit between the two leaders which had normalised the relations between the two countries after the 73-day military stand-off over Doklam.
During his three-day visit, Jaishankar will hold talks with the Chinese leadership on a host of issues including finalisation of arrangements for President Xi’s visit to India later this year for the second informal summit with Prime Minister Modi.
The visit of Jaishankar, the first Indian minister to tour China after the Modi government began its second term, is taking place in the aftermath of India’s decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its division into two Union Territories -Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
His visit was finalised much before India’s move to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is a great pleasure to be back in China, and I recall my previous years with warmth. I am so glad that early in my tenure I had the opportunity to pay a visit and prepare for the informal summit between our two leaders that we hope to see soon, and also to co-chair the high-level Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges mechanism with Foreign Minster Wang Yi,” Jaishankar said.
Welcoming Jaishankar, Vice President Wang said, I also know that you are the longest serving Indian Ambassador to China and you made important contribution to the relations of our two countries.” He expressed hope the visit would boost the bilateral relations.
