Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a State Councilor, arrived in New Delhi from Kabul for crucial fence-mending talks with Indian counterpart S Jaishankar aimed at breaking the tense military standoff and diplomatic frostiness between the two countries after their bloody border clash two years ago. 

This will be the first high-level Chinese visit in over two years. The Delhi visit is part of Wang Yi's South Asia tour, which also took him to Pakistan, to attend the special OIC meeting, and included a surprise stopover in  Afghanistan on way to New Delhi. From New Delhi, he is visiting Kathmandu for talks with Nepalese leaders. 

Besides Jaishankar, he is also expected to meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi Friday. It is not yet known whether he will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The Chinese senior minister's visit comes just a day after India rejected the "uncalled reference" to Kashmir during his speech at a function in Pakistan. "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," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters Wednesday in a sharp response to queries on the Chinese Foreign Minister's speech at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad to which he was a special invitee.

"On Kashmir, we have heard again today the calls of many of our Islamic friends. And China shares the same hope," Wang had said.

Wang reached Kabul this morning from Islamabad and held talks with Taliban leaders, a top Taliban government official said. 

Ties between New Delhi and Beijing have been cold since the spring of 2020 when India says the incursion by PLA soldiers at various points in Ladakh also led to an unprecedented confrontation in the Galwan Valley leading to the deaths of 20 Indian and several Chinese soldiers.

India has said there will be no normal ties with China until border issues are resolved. This stance has been echoed both by the Foreign Minister Jaishankar as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The militaries of both countries have held several rounds of talks with limited success in agreeing to a mutual withdrawal

Wang Yi and Jaishankar met twice after the incident - in Moscow in September 2020 and Dushanbe in September 2021.

(SAM)