 "Jaishankar in Moscow, Wang Yi in Delhi: Why this is an important time for Indian diplomacy")
India will boost engagement with Russia and China at the top levels over the coming weeks, amid a strain in ties with the United States over trade. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will be in Moscow next week to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on August 21.
Before Jaishankar heads to Russia, India is reportedly preparing to host Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This will be the first high-level visit from China following a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May after Operation Sindoor.
As relations with the US take a hit over trade, India’s ties with Russia and China are evolving.
Let’s take a closer look.
Jaishankar in Russia, China’s FM in India
EAM S Jaishankar is slated to visit Russia on a two-day trip next week. He will hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin could also be in the cards.
“The Ministers will discuss key issues on our bilateral agenda, as well as key aspects of cooperation within international framework,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, announcing Jaishankar’s Moscow visit on Wednesday (August 13).
This will be the third meeting between Jaishankar and Lavrov in the past few weeks. The duo last met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Tianjin on July 15, as well as on the margins of the 17th Brics Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6.
During his Moscow visit, the EAM could also co-chair the 26th session of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic, Scientific-Technological and Cultural Cooperation, reported PTI.
India’s purchase of Russian crude oil is likely to feature during Jaishankar’s meetings with Russian leaders. Russia’s conflict with Ukraine is also expected to be discussed.
Before Jaishankar’s Moscow trip, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will reportedly be in India next week.
As per Indian Express sources, Wang will be in New Delhi on August 18 for the Special Representative-level talks with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.
India is yet to officially announce the visit of the Chinese foreign minister, which could come as early as August 18. The visit will be keenly watched as it comes three months after Operation Sindoor, when India briefly fought Pakistan.
New Delhi said Pakistan used Chinese weapons and drones and Beijing helped Rawalpindi with “live intelligence” during the military conflict.
Wang’s trip is aimed at continuing high-level discussions on the India-China border issue, sources told The Hindu. They added that New Delhi will be cautious in improving ties with Beijing, given its all-weather relationship with Pakistan.
India continues engagement with Russia despite Trump threats
New Delhi has intensified engagement with Russia in recent weeks, even as US President Donald Trump announced additional 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian crude oil.
This has taken the total tariffs on Indian goods exported to the US to 50 per cent.
Jaishankar’s Moscow visit will lay the groundwork for President Putin’s arrival in India for the next Russia-India annual summit expected later this year. This will be his first trip to the South Asian country since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Lavrov could also visit India before Putin’s trip.
This week, the Russian foreign minister will travel to Alaska with Putin for the high-stakes summit with US President Trump on Friday (August 15).
The talks between the two leaders have been welcomed by India, which said the move holds the “promise” of ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. There are hopes in New Delhi that the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska would help persuade the US president to drop the 25 per cent additional tariffs on Indian goods as a penalty on New Delhi for buying Russian oil.
On August 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone, underlining the need for a “peaceful settlement” of the conflict.
Amid Trump’s steep tariff threats, Modi also held a telephonic conversation with Brazil’s President Lula Da Silva, whose country is part of Brics – the informal group that the US president has targeted.
As India continues trade negotiations with the US, it has also carried on its engagement with Russia. Moscow has condemned Trump’s tariff action and supported India’s right to choose its trading partners.
Last week, Modi and Putin held a “detailed” phone conversation, discussing “the latest developments on Ukraine” and “reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”.
This came after NSA Doval visited Russia, where he met Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and President Putin.
In late June, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov on the sidelines of the gathering of SCO Defence Ministers in Qingdao, China.
Thaw in India-China ties
Wang Yi’s visit to India is likely to take place before PM Modi heads to China’s Tianjin for the SCO summit later this month. It will be the Indian prime minister’s first visit to the country since 2018.
The SCO summit will be held in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin also in attendance.
Russia is also part of the SCO grouping, along with India, China, Pakistan and Iran.
PM Modi could also hold bilateral talks with both the Chinese and Russian presidents on the sidelines of the summit. The meeting between Modi and Xi will be an opportunity for India to review the situation along the border with China and the bilateral relationship, as per Indian Express.
This is PM Modi’s first trip to China since the military clashes at Galwan in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020. Last October, India and China completed the process of disengagement along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
Following this, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Rajnath Singh and Jaishankar visited the country. Wang Yi had come to India in 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Doval and Wang are likely to deliberate on bilateral ties and the situation along the LAC.
In recent months, India has enhanced engagement with both Russia and China. This is significant as Beijing has batted for the Russia-India-China trilateral meeting. However, New Delhi has, so far, not agreed.
India and China have taken several steps to improve relations. Beijing allowed the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this year, while India has started issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals since July.
In a sign of further easing of tensions, New Delhi and Beijing are mulling resuming direct flights between the two countries. Beijing has also reportedly relaxed restrictions on urea shipments to India.
As per ThePrint report, India and China are also in talks to “facilitate” the revival of border trade through the Lipulekh Pass (Uttarakhand), Shipki La Pass (Himachal Pradesh) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim), the Rajya Sabha was told last week.
Trade between India and China through these border posts was first disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was not resumed following a downturn in diplomatic ties due to the border clashes in 2020.
With inputs from agencies
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