Tag: Wang Yi

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Jaishankar, Wang Yi Exchange Greetings at Munich Security Conference

The Security Conference, an annual conference on global security issues, began in Munich on Friday…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had a brief conversation on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The interaction took place on Saturday when Jaishankar was going to the stage for a panel discussion and Wang was walking down the podium

The impromptu interaction comes after months of no communication between the two countries.

Last time the two leaders met in Indonesia on the sidelines of ASEAN meet in July 2023.

The Security Conference, an annual conference on global security issues, began in Munich on Friday.

Jaishankar has already met UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Peru Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaechea on the sidelines of the conference.

Jaishankar meets Palestinian Foreign Minister

Jaishankar met the foreign minister of Palestine, Riyad al-Maliki, in Munich on Sunday and discussed the situation in Gaza.

In a post on social media platform X, Jaishankar wrote, “Nice to see Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.”

“Exchanged views on the current situation in Gaza,” he added.

The External Affairs Minister is currently in Munich, Germany, to attend the prestigious security conference there.

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024 offers a unique opportunity for high-level debates on the world’s most pressing security challenges.

Six decades after its foundation by Ewald von Kleist, the MSC has assembled senior decision-makers and thought leaders from around the world for discussions on the most pressing international security concerns in February 2024, according to the conference’s official statement.

This year’s conference was held under the chairmanship of the German Ambassador to the US, Christoph Heusgen.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the ongoing Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Jaishankar said there was no justification for the ‘terrorism’ that was unleashed on the kibbutzes of southern Israel on October 7, last year.

“All of us follow enormous efforts which Tony (Antony Blinken) is putting in right now,but look the way we look at it has different dimensions, different elements to this,” Jaishankar said.

“We must be clear that what happened on October 7 was terrorism. No justification, no explanation, it was terrorism,” the EAM added.

As he went on to speak, the EAM also stated that a large number of countries ” strongly believe in two-state solution.”

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on February 17 to rising appeals from world leaders to avoid a ground operation in Rafah, remarking that doing so would mean “losing the war against Hamas,” as reported by The Times of Israel.

“Those who want to prevent us from operating in Rafah are essentially telling us: ‘Lose the war.’ I won’t let that happen,” he vowed at an evening press conference in Jerusalem.

“We won’t capitulate to any pressure,” he said.

According to The Times of Israel, Rafah, located on the Gaza-Egypt border, is the final remaining Hamas stronghold in the territory, but it also houses over a million displaced Palestinians sheltering from war.

ALSO READ-Netanyahu Vows No Capitulation Amid Pressure on Rafah Operation

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Wang Yi: The return of China’s foreign policy Czar

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hold a video meeting on May 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Deng Hua/IANS)

Wang Yi grasped the significance of the two centenary goals, which completely changed the diplomatic conduct of Chinese foreign policy, a report by Atul Aneja

Earlier this week, the world was surprised when Wang Yi returned as China’s foreign minister replacing Qin Gang, who had mysteriously disappeared from public eye since June 25.

By becoming foreign minister as well as the head of the central foreign affairs  commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC)—a more powerful and prestigious post than foreign minister—Wang has emerged as China’s powerful foreign policy Czar.

There are three key reasons why Chinese President Xi Jinping reposed his trust in Wang, and not anybody else to handle China’s troubled external relations.

First, Wang arguably has an unrivalled understanding of advancing Chinese foreign policy in Xi Jinping’s so-called “new era.” His track record speaks for itself.

A career diplomat, Wang majored in Japanese from the Beijing International Studies University. At the age of 29, he had joined China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Riding on his domain knowledge of Japan, Wang was appointed China’s ambassador in Tokyo from 2004-07.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with his US counterpart Antony Blinken.

He continued to climb the diplomatic ladder, leading the politically sensitive Taiwan Affairs Office from 2008, before his appointment as foreign minister for the first time in 2013. He served on that post without any hiccups till 2022, before being elevated to the powerful post of Director, central foreign affairs commission of the CPC—a position held earlier by the high-profile trouble shooter Yang Jieche. Simultaneously, Wang rose in party ranks. From a member of the Central Committee when he was foreign minister, he was elevated to the more powerful 25-member politburo at the 20th party congress that was held last year.

Second and more importantly, Wang is a diligent practitioner of Xi’s “thought on diplomacy.”  Xi’s diplomatic doctrine can be traced to the 19th party congress held in October 2017. During a marathon speech at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi unveiled the two centenary goals. The first targeted lifting extreme poverty by 2021, in tune with the centenary celebrations of the CPC’s formation in 1921. The second pledged to foist China as the world’s most advanced country in all spheres of human endeavour by 2049, marking 100 years of the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Wang grasped the significance of the two centenary goals, which completely changed the diplomatic conduct of Chinese foreign policy. Wang became one of the pioneering practitioners of the China’s assertive engagement with the world, marked by what has been now commonly known as an aggressive Wolf Warrior diplomacy—a term derived from the film Wolf Warrior 2 which became a mega-hit with Chinese audiences, carefully released a few months ahead of the 19th Party Congress.

Xi Jinping delivers an important speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ju Peng/IANS)

In later years, Xi’s thought on diplomacy was fleshed out into two doctrines—the Global Development Initiative (GDI) announced in 2021 and the Global Security Initiative (GSI). Both the doctrines have left no doubt about China’s intent to become the world’ s most powerful country, amplifying the second centenary goal.

Third, President Xi needs a seasoned hand when China is passing through a turbulent post-Covid transition, and faces a busy diplomatic season ahead. The BRICS summit is round the corner next month followed by the G-20 summit in September. It is quite likely that Xi and Joe Biden will summit on the sidelines of APEC in November, completing the cycle of high-level meetings that have begun with the visit to Beijing in June by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reboot the currently fractious Beijing-Washington ties.

ALSO READ: A Tale of Transformation: China’s Impact on India-US Ties

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NSA talks tough with Yi over LAC situation

Johannesburg [South Africa], July 25 (ANI): National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval poses for a group picture with Russian NSA Nikolai Patrushev, South African Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and others during the 13th BRICS NSA meeting, in Johannesburg on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

In a meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, Doval stressed the significance of continuing efforts to thoroughly address the issue and re-establish peace in the border regions…reports Asian Lite News

In a stern message to China on the sidelines of the 13th BRICS National Security Advisor’s (NSA) meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday, NSA Ajit Doval said the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has eroded the strategic trust between the two nations.

In a meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, Doval stressed the significance of continuing efforts to thoroughly address the issue and re-establish peace in the border regions. “During the meeting, NSA conveyed that the situation along the LAC in the Western Sector of the India-China boundary since 2020 had eroded strategic trust and the public and political basis of the relationship,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in an official release.

“NSA emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas, so as to remove impediments to normalcy in bilateral relations. The two sides agreed that the India-China bilateral relationship is significant not only for the two countries but also for the region and world,” the release added.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met the Member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Political Bureau and Director of the Office of the CPC Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs’ Meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

India and China have time and again faced border disputes dating back to 1962. The most recent clash was in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a scuffle in the Galwan valley.

Earlier, on July 24, Doval participated in the ‘Friends of BRICS’ meeting in Johannesburg.

According to sources, he said the gravity of cyber risks will increase exponentially with the advent of disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Internet of Things.

Doval also held a working meeting with the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev and discussed the cooperation between the two countries in the field of security and economy, the Russian embassy in India said in a statement.

He added that terrorism remains one of the key threats to national peace and security.

Asserting that terror organisations in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region continue to operate with impunity, he added that listing terrorists and their proxies under the United Nations counter-terrorism sanctions regime is an area on which BRICS can work together.

Doval said it was important that the decision-making of the UN Security Council sanctions committee is free from politicisation and double standards, adding that the meeting is being held at a time of great churn in the international security environment.

The NSA said further the global security situation is marked by uncertainty and rising tensions. The global economy is still covering the aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also appreciated the cooperation extended by South Africa for India’s G20 Presidency, assuring India’s continued support for South Africa’s BRICS chairship this year.

Iran’s security chief meets Doval, discusses Chabahar  

Acknowledging India’s growth as an emerging power, Tehran has urged New Delhi to accelerate the process of Iran’s admission to the powerful five-member BRICS grouping that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Iran’s new security chief Ali Akbar Ahmadian discussed the matter in detail during his meeting with Doval on the sidelines of the BRICS NSA and ‘Friends of BRICS’ gathering in Johannesburg that was also attended by national security secretaries and advisors of Iran, Burundi, Egypt, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, UAE and Belarus.

Earlier this month, Iran – an observer state till now – got a full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under the rotating chairmanship of India while the official procedure for Belarus’ admission to the grouping has also begun.

This was the first meeting between NSA Doval and Ahmadian who was appointed by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as the Secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council on May 22. He replaced Admiral Ali Shamkhani who held the top position for 10 years.

Before his appointment, Ahmadian was in charge of the strategic centre of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a permanent member of the Expediency Council, an advisory body assisting the country’s leader.

During Monday’s meeting with NSA Doval, Ahmadian praised India’s growth as an emerging power and “a large economy in the global arena based on multilateralism” while pointing to the historical relations and the numerous cultural and civilizational commonalities that binds both nations.

He referred to Chabahar port being built with India’s help in Iran, as a symbol of cooperation between the two countries and emphasised on accelerating the implementation of agreements between the two countries in the field of transportation, energy and banking cooperation. Any obstacles in the path to develop bilateral relations in all fields, stated Ahmadian, should be prioritized and resolved quickly.

The two security chiefs also also discussed common positions and concerns in the fight against terrorism and drug production and trafficking.

ALSO READ-India, Brunei review entire gamut of bilateral ties

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Wang Yi replaces Qin Gang as Chinese Foreign Minister

Wang had represented China at diplomatic summits in Jakarta and Johannesburg in place of Qin…reports Asian Lite News

China’s foreign minister Qin Gang, who had been missing from public eye for over a month, was on Tuesday replaced by Wang Yi by the country’s Parliament, reported state media Xinhua.

Wang Yi had previously served as the country’s foreign minister for nearly 10 months. The voting for the same was held adopted at the fourth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) today as per Xinhua, the official state news agency of the People’s Republic of China.

President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to effectuate the decision, the state media reported. China’s top legislature also appointed Pan Gongsheng as the country’s central bank governor.

Qin was last seen in public on June 25, when he met his counterparts from Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. His planned meetings since then have either been cancelled, or top diplomat Wang has gone in Qin’s place, The Washington Post reported.

Wang had represented China at diplomatic summits in Jakarta and Johannesburg in place of Qin.

The US publication stated that Qin’s removal preceded weeks of silence during which Qin’s own ministry refused to provide any information regarding his whereabouts, there has been wild speculation about everything from significant political or personal missteps to a serious sickness.

A week before Qin vanished, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met him in Beijing, and they made an agreement that the Chinese foreign minister would reciprocate by travelling to Washington, according to the Washington Post.

Considered as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s close aide, Qin had swiftly gained to prominence as the spokesperson for the foreign ministry and chief protocol officer, planning many of Xi’s abroad trips, according to The Washington Post.

He was appointed Chinese ambassador to the United States in July 2021, however he served in that capacity for only about 18 months before being given the promotion to foreign minister in December. He is one of the youngest authorities in that position at 57 years old. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Blinken meets top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Beijing

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China takes aim at Quad

He said, “We should stand against the drawing ideological lines and expand the common ground to promote world peace and development.”…reports Arul Louis

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi took aim at the Quad and other such initiatives, saying, “We should jointly oppose group politics and block confrontation.”

“Pursuing one’s own absolute security can only undermine global strategic stability,” he said on Saturday at the high-level UN General Assembly meeting.

The Quad, made up of India, the US, Japan and Australia, is committed to security in the Indo-Pacific region and cooperation on development and has been criticised by China, and India is entering into similar arrangements elsewhere also.

Wang did not name the Quad or India in making the criticism that was implied.

After a long confrontation with India that escalated in recent years, he said, “We must address differences by peaceful means and resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation.”

“We must uphold peace and oppose war,” he added. “Turbulence and war can only open pandora’s box.”

“No country is above others and no country should abuse this power to bully other sovereign countries,” Wang said.

Those principles can also apply to the Ukraine war, about which he added, “We call on all parties concerned to keep the crisis from spilling over and to protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.”

Developing countries have been hit hard by the spillover effects of the invasion that have caused food shortages and resulted in high energy prices, the Chinese Foreign Minister said.

“China supports efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine crisis. The pressing priority is to facilitate talks for peace,” he added.

“The fundamental solution is to address the legitimate security concerns of all parties and build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture,” he said, bringing up Russia’s objections to NATO expansion.

His statement did not reflect any substantial change in Beijing’s approach to Russia’s invasion even though Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has admitted that China had “questions and concerns” about the war.

Regarding the criticism from the West about China’s human rights record and its dictatorial system, Wang added, “A difference in systems should not be used as an excuse to create division. Still, as should democracy and human rights be used as tools or weapons to achieve political ends.”

He said, “We should stand against the drawing ideological lines and expand the common ground to promote world peace and development.”

Wang expressed concern over what he called protectionist trends and, by extension.

“Protectionism can only build around and decoupling a supply chain disruption will hurt everyone. We should stay true to open this and candour, inclusiveness and tear down fences and barriers that hinder the free flow of factors of production.”

On threats to cybersecurity, the Chinese Foreign Minister added, “We have launched a global initiative on data security as our contribution to formulating rules on global data security.”

With tension rising between China and Taiwan and the US, especially after US Speaker’s visit to the island along with Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Wang reiterated Beijing’s hardline “One China” policy on Taiwan, warning that anyone trying to change it would be “crushed under the wheel of history”.

He said Taiwan issues were an internal matter of China and warned against anyone promoting the island’s independence.

“Chinese have never ceased our efforts to realise reunification,” he added.

ALSO READ-At UN, Jaishankar red flags China

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Taiwan not part of US, but Chinese territory: Wang Yi

In announcing the manoeuvres to the north, south-west and east of self-ruled island on August 2, China had originally promised their conclusion on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that Taiwan is not part of the United States but Chinese territory.

During a short visit to Bangladesh, Wang Yi said United States has been engaging in “sophistry” on the Taiwan question, and China’s actions on Taiwan have been just, appropriate and legal, as well as being aimed at safeguarding the country’s sacred sovereignty and territorial integrity, media reported.

Meanwhile, China’s People’s Liberation Army on Monday continued their large-scale sea and air drills around Taiwan despite its initial announcement that the exercises which began last week in response to US House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, would end on Sunday.

China’s state television reported that the exercises were focussing on “anti-submarine and sea assault operations”, reports dpa news agency

In announcing the manoeuvres to the north, south-west and east of self-ruled island on August 2, China had originally promised their conclusion on Sunday.

No new formal end date has been announced.

In fact, some commentators on Chinese media expressed the view that the military exercises could become the new normal.

Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian on Monday said the drills are a “necessary warning” to the US and Taiwan, describing them as an “entirely reasonable and appropriate” response to their recent “provocations”.

He said the tensions were “deliberately” stoked by Washington, with Pelosi travelling to Taipei last week in the face of fierce opposition from Beijing.

The Chinese leadership rejects official contacts by other countries with Taipei because it regards the island as part of the mainland.

Taiwan, on the other hand, has long seen itself as independent.

Over the past several days the Chinese military practised not only a naval and air blockade, but also amphibious landing capabilities to launch beach assaults on Taiwan, according to Chinese media.

Taiwan’s military said Chinese aircraft flew 66 sorties on Sunday alone. In the process, 22 jets crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, a demarcation that had mostly been respected in the past.

Fourteen Chinese warships were said to have participated, as well.

A Chinese drone was also spotted again on Sunday evening over the outlying Taiwanese island of Kinmen, which is only a few kilometres from the Chinese coast, the Defence Ministry in Taipei reported.

Until recent days, there had been no Chinese overflight of the island since the 1950s.

Other Chinese manoeuvres are also planned this week in other waters, including in the north in the Bohai Gulf and Yellow Sea, and in the south in the South China Sea off the coast of Guangdong province.

ALSO READ-Chinese military drill near Taiwan due to end

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Jaishankar hold talks with Wang Yi in Bali

This meeting came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had called the Dalai Lama to wish him on his birthday. Modi’s public articulation of his call to the Dalai Lama – for the second year in a row — comes amid the slide in India-China ties over the military standoff…reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met State Councillor Wang Yi in Bali on Thursday for the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting amid the ongoing standoff between troops along the India-China border.

“The External Affairs minister called for an early resolution of all the outstanding issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

Jaishankar reiterated that Indo-China relations is “best served by observing the three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests”, the MEA statement added.

Jaishankar said that they focussed on “specific outstanding issues” in the bilateral relationship pertaining to the “border situation”. He added that they also discussed matters including students and flights, and “shared perspectives” on the international situation.

Jaishankar and Wang last met in Delhi during the Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit in March this year.

“Began my day in Bali by meeting FM Wang Yi of China. Discussion lasted one hour. Focused on specific outstanding issues in our bilateral relationship pertaining to the border situation. Also spoke about other matters including students and flights,” Jaishankar tweeted.

“Shared perspectives on the international situation and its impact on the G20 deliberations,” he said.

The MEA statement stated: “The External Affairs minister called for an early resolution of all the outstanding issues along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh. Recalling the disengagement achieved in some friction areas, the External affairs minister reiterated the need to sustain the momentum to complete disengagement from all the remaining areas to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.”

It added, “He reaffirmed the importance of fully abiding by bilateral agreements and protocols, and the understandings reached between the two Ministers during their previous conversations. In this regard, both Ministers affirmed that the military and diplomatic officials of the two sides should continue maintaining regular contact and looked forward to the next round of Senior Commanders’ meeting at an early date.”

Jaishankar, the MEA statement said, recalled his meeting with Wang Yi in Delhi in March 2022 and “reviewed the progress of some key issues discussed then, including the return of students”. The External affairs minister stressed the “need for expediting the process and facilitating the return of students on an early date”.

“The two ministers also exchanged perspectives on other regional and global developments,” the statement said, adding that Foreign Minister Wang Yi “appreciated India’s support during China’s BRICS Chairship this year” and “assured China’s support for India’s upcoming G20 and SCO Presidency”.

This meeting came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had called the Dalai Lama to wish him on his birthday. Modi’s public articulation of his call to the Dalai Lama – for the second year in a row — comes amid the slide in India-China ties over the military standoff.

“Conveyed 87th birthday greetings to His Holiness the @DalaiLama over phone earlier today. We pray for his long life and good health,” Modi tweeted. Last year too, Modi had announced that he had wished the Dalai Lama on his birthday.

The phone calls to the Tibetan spiritual leader and the public announcements have diplomatic significance given that Beijing calls the Dalai Lama a “splittist”. India has maintained that the two sides should be mindful of “mutual sensitivities, interests and concerns”.

The fact that Beijing has not bothered about Indian “sensitivities” — on the India-China border, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, status of Jammu and Kashmir — has led New Delhi to recalibrate its position. It signals that India will not hesitate to subtly dial up the rhetoric.

In recent months, there have been some moves by Beijing to put the relationship back on track — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India in March this year. But Delhi has maintained that bilateral ties cannot be back on track until the border standoff is resolved.

ALSO READ-Jaishankar: Unanimous support on need to stand with Lanka

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Blinken to meet Wang Yi in Bali

US officials hope the meeting could bring stability to the US-China ties as tensions over the Taiwan issue escalate between the two powers, according to the Washington Post…reports Asian Lite News

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali this week, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Blinken will travel to Bali, Indonesia, and Bangkok, Thailand, from July 6-11. Bali hosts the G20 summit on July 7-8.

“In addition to attending G20-related engagements, the Secretary will hold a bilateral meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. Among other bilateral engagements, Secretary Blinken will also meet with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20,” the State Department said.

Blinken and Wang will discuss Ukraine, The Washington Post reported.

This comes amid reports that US President Joe Biden could lift the tariff on some Chinese imports in an effort to slow down the soaring rates of inflation.

The Biden administration is wrapping up a mandatory review of tariffs on Chinese imports, which were earlier imposed by former President Donald Trump. Biden has on several occasions postponed plans to cut tariffs due to policy disagreements among his own senior aides and Cabinet secretaries.

US officials hope the meeting could bring stability to the US-China ties as tensions over the Taiwan issue escalate between the two powers, according to the Washington Post.

“A key goal of the meeting will be to reinforce guardrails on the relationship so that our competition does not spill over into miscalculation or confrontation,” said one of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting prior to its announcement. “I think there’s no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy, and now is the right time.”

The meeting would focus in part on the war in Ukraine, providing Blinken with a chance to relay US concerns about China’s deepening relationship with Moscow, the report added.

Beijing has urged an end to the fighting but has not participated in the sanctions imposed on Russia.

This year’s G20 Indonesia gathering represents a challenge for the West as they seek to advance a global agenda on food and energy security while isolating Russia. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Omicron variants: US FDA backs Covid boosters

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in Delhi

15 rounds of military-level talks have taken place between the two sides to resolve the issue…reports Asian Lite News

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who landed in Delhi on Thursday evening, is expected to hold bilateral talks on trade and the pending border dispute in Ladakh that is almost two years old now.

Yi is scheduled to meet Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday.

This is the first high-level Chinese diplomatic visit to India in over two years since the border dispute began between the two countries in Eastern Ladakh.

So far, 15 rounds of military-level talks have taken place between the two sides to resolve the issue.

Yi’s visit to Delhi is part of his ongoing South Asia tour. He was in Kabul on Thursday morning, following his participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Islamabad, where he had raked up the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

In Islamabad, Yi had said: “On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope.”

India, however, had rejected the “uncalled reference” to Kashmir during Yi’s speech in Islamabad.

“Matters related to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India. Other countries, including China, have no locus standi to comment. They should note that India refrains from public judgement of their internal issues,” spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, had said on Wednesday while reacting to Yi’s comments.

The Chinese Foreign Minister is expected to be in Nepal from March 25-27.

ALSO READ-China’s Wang Yi in Kabul

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Sri Lanka asks China to ease debt burden

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Image Twitter@GotabayaR)

President Rajapaksa met China’s Foreign Minister and State Councilor Yi who was visiting Sri Lanka marking the 65 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, reports Susitha Fernando

Amidst the ongoing financial and forex crisis, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for possible restructure of the debt repayment.

“It would be a great relief if it could be focused on restructuring the debt repayments as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” President Rajapaksa said.

President Rajapaksa met China’s Foreign Minister and State Councilor Yi who was visiting Sri Lanka marking the 65 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Sri Lanka is the final destination of Chinese Minister who visited five countries in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) from Africa to Asia Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros in Africa and the Maldives in Asia.

In the back drop of financial crisis faced by the Indian Ocean island nation, President Rajajapaksa also said, “if a concessional trade credit scheme could be obtained for imports from China, it would enable industries to run smoothly”.

During the meeting, President Rajapaksa also has requested Minister Yi to assist in attracting Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka by allowing visit using the bio-bubble program, President’s Office said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Image Twitter@GotabayaR)

During the meeting Sri Lankan leader thanked the “Chinese government for the material and financial assistance given to battle the Covid-19 pandemic and for its continued support in providing Sri Lanka with Sinopharm vaccines for the successful implementation of the vaccination program”, President’s Office stated.

In response, Chinese Foreign Minister has stated that “China would always support the island nation as a close friend”.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who met Wang Yi at the Temple Trees has thanked Chinese government for its financial support in the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic.

“As you know, similar to many other countries, Sri Lanka’s economy was also greatly impacted by the pandemic. We appreciate China’s assistance towards our economic revival and financial stability,” said Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“There is still a long way to go in establishing normalcy, but we’re confident that with support from friendly countries like China, we will be able to overcome these challenges soon. I look forward to continue working closely with you and the Government of China in addressing common challenges,” PM Rajapaksa said.

A supporter of Gotabaya Rajapaksa cheers along the street in Colombo Sri Lanka.

Foreign Minister Yi has assured to assist Sri Lanka and has said “China will continue to do its best to provide all the necessary help and support [to Sri Lanka],” Prime Minister’s Office stated.

Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit comes amidst strained relationship due to shipment of 20,000 metric tonnes of organic fertilizer from China which was rejected by Sri Lanka after it was found to be infected with harmful bacteria.

In last September, the Hippo Spirit ship carrying organic fertilizer left for Colombo from China’s Qingdao Port. Initially Sri Lankan court ordered state-run People’s Bank not to pay for the shipment and in response Chinese embassy blacklisted the bank. However, bowing to the pressure of Beijing on Saturday (January 8) the bank paid the fertilizer company Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group $6.87 million while settling legal dispute.

READ MORE: SRI LANKA 2022: Financial Crisis Deepens