Jaishankar to visit China for first time in five years amid efforts to reset ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit China this weekend, his first trip in over five years, as both countries seek to mend strained relations following the deadly border clashes of 2020, according to a Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the matter.

Jaishankar will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing before heading to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers on July 14–15, added the report.

The separate Jaishankar-Wang Yi meeting ahead of the summit signals renewed efforts by both countries to ease tensions, reported Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.

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The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a China-led multilateral bloc with nine permanent members, including India and Pakistan.

During their bilateral meeting, Jaishankar and Wang Yi are likley to discuss a range of sensitive issues, including rare earth exports to India, the Dalai Lama’s succession, recent India-Pakistan tensions, and the possible resumption of direct flights between India and China, according to the report.

Jaishankar’s visit marks the latest in a series of high-level engagements between India and China, following a gradual easing of tensions that began late last year.

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Just last month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to Qingdao for the SCO defence ministers’ meeting.

Officials are likely setting the stage for a possible visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the SCO leaders’ summit later this year.

While China’s ambassador to India extended a “warm” invitation in an April note to local media, New Delhi has yet to confirm PM Modi’s participation.

Wang Yi is also expected to visit India in July for talks with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on longstanding border issues, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.

Diplomatic and economic ties between India and China deteriorated sharply after the deadly border clash in June 2020, which left at least 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops dead.

Both sides responded by deploying thousands of troops, missiles, and fighter jets along the disputed 3,488-km border.

Relations began to thaw in October after a meeting between PM Modi and President Xi Jinping at the Brics summit in Russia, where they agreed to stabilise ties.

Since then, Jaishankar has met Wang Yi twice outside China — at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November and again in Johannesburg in February.

Despite these efforts, tensions remain.

India continues to impose visa and investment restrictions on China, while Beijing’s export curbs on critical minerals have impacted Indian industries.

Earlier this month, China lodged a protest after PM Modi wished the Dalai Lama on his birthday.

During Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit in June, India declined to endorse a joint SCO statement due to disagreements over language on terrorism.

 With inputs from agencies