Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit India on August 18 for talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, in a key diplomatic engagement ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to China in five years. Modi will travel to China later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
This high-level meeting between Wang Yi and Ajit Doval comes at a crucial time, as India-China relations show tentative signs of improvement following years of tension since the Ladakh border clashes in 2020.
Wang Yi’s visit also comes amid rising global trade tensions. US President Donald Trump has recently imposed steep tariffs on both China and India, hitting Chinese goods with a 145% import duty and targeting Indian imports with a 50% tariff, including a 25% penalty for India’s purchases of Russian oil and defence equipment.
The last meeting between Doval and Wang Yi took place in June during a previous SCO engagement. While ties between India and China have been strained, there have been modest efforts to thaw relations — a trend that has gained some momentum in the wake of Washington’s aggressive trade actions.
In March, while US tariffs on China were still at 20%, Wang Yi publicly called for greater cooperation between Beijing and New Delhi. Speaking after a session of China’s National People’s Congress, he urged both nations to resist "hegemonism and power politics," famously remarking, "Making the dragon and elephant dance is the only right choice." He emphasized mutual support and collaboration over confrontation.
Wang also cited recent "positive strides" in the bilateral relationship, pointing to military disengagements in Ladakh’s Depsang and Demchok regions, following the prolonged standoff since 2020.
India acknowledged these efforts shortly after. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the government is working towards "a more predictable and positive course" in ties with China. Possible confidence-building measures include the resumption of pilgrimages to Chinese-controlled religious sites, restoration of direct flights, and media exchanges between the two nations.
China, on its part, has expressed optimism about Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun highlighted the August 31 – September 1 SCO summit in Tianjin, describing it as potentially the largest ever gathering of its kind.
On the sidelines of the summit, Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, focusing on the Ukraine conflict, and a possible meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, indicating a cautious but deliberate move toward rebuilding high-level diplomatic engagement in the region. (Source: NDTV)
