(TibetanReview.net, Jun26’24) — Chinese ambassador Mr Xu Feihong has on Jun 24 called on India’s External Affairs minister Mr S Jaishankar with focus on bilateral relationship and the “common interest” in its “stabilisation and progress”, reported the firstpost.com Jun 25. The meeting came days after a bipartisan delegation of prominent US lawmakers met with the Dalai Lama as well as the exile Tibetan leadership at Dharamshala and expressed strong support for the Tibetan people’s right to self-determination.
The delegation, which was led by House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul and included former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also met with Jaishankar and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Some saw in those meetings a pivoting in India’s foreign relations in the context of its worsening relationship with China due to the seemingly intractable standoff between the two sides along occupied Tibet’s border.
“Received Ambassador of China Xu Feihong this evening. Discussed our bilateral relationship and our common interest in its stabilization and progress. Wished him a successful tenure,” Jaishankar said on his X (formerly Twitter) post.
Following the meeting with Jaishankar, the Chinese ambassador has said he was looking forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the “right direction”.
“Honored to call on External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar today. We exchanged views on China-India relations and other issues of common interest,” Xu said on X. “Thanks for his best wishes. Look forward to working with the Indian side to push forward the development of China-India relations towards the right direction.”
Xu’s recent appointment came after an unusually long delay of 18 months amid strained relations between the two countries over the Ladakh military standoff. The ties between the two countries nosedived following a fierce night clash between a Chinese People’s Liberation Army raiders and Indian border troops in the Galwan Valley in mid-Jun 2020. It marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades and the standoff continues with both the sides continuing to strengthen their positions.