External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday embarked on a crucial visit to China, where he will hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tianjin on July 14–15.
This marks Jaishankar’s first visit to China since relations plunged to a six-decade low following the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that began in April-May 2020.
According to sources, discussions with Wang Yi are expected to focus on efforts to accelerate de-escalation, withdrawal of troops to peacetime positions, and normalisation of ties, including restoring trade and people-to-people contacts.
“That requires two things: unity in the European Union and good lines of communication with the American president,” Merz stated in a separate context regarding U.S. tariffs, underlining the importance of diplomatic coordination — a principle also mirrored in India’s engagement with China.
After concluding talks in Beijing, Jaishankar will travel to Tianjin for the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed will include representatives from all member states and permanent bodies.
“In addition to attending the meeting, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will also pay a visit to China,” a statement from the Chinese ministry said.
The meeting will be closely watched for the possibility of a joint communique, particularly after last month’s SCO defence ministers’ meeting failed to issue one, as India declined to endorse a document that omitted reference to the Pahalgam terror attack at Pakistan’s insistence.
Earlier Stop: Singapore
Before arriving in China, Jaishankar visited Singapore, where he held wide-ranging talks with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, and Temasek Holdings chairman-designate Teo Chee Hean.
The leaders reviewed progress following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore and the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, discussing areas like investments, semiconductors, infrastructure, industrial parks, and connectivity.
The visit, the External Affairs Ministry said, “is part of continued high-level exchanges between India and Singapore and reflects the importance New Delhi attaches to its relations with Singapore.”
Jaishankar’s back-to-back visits to key Asian capitals signal India’s strategic engagement in regional diplomacy amid shifting geopolitical currents and ongoing efforts to stabilise critical bilateral ties, especially with China.