Ahead of Xi’s India trip, NSA Doval to visit China next week
BEIJING: Even as China downplayed reports of cancellation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s maiden Pakistan visit, Indian National Security Advisor AK Doval will be in Beijing next week to hold talks in the run-up to Xi’s upcoming India visit.
Doval is expected to call on President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People and also hold one-on-one talks with State Councillor, Yang Jiechi.
It was learnt that Doval’s visit, his first after he succeeded Shivshankar Menon as India’s top bureaucrat, will focus on thrashing out details related to Xi’s visit. Doval is also expected to hold talks with senior officials from China’s security apparatus.
While the dates for Xi’s visit have most likely been finalised by now, neither India nor China has formally announced the dates.
It is expected that Xi would head to New Delhi around the September 17th or 18th. According to Indian officials here, both sides were working hard to ensure that Xi’s visit was a success. Indian diplomats stationed are holding frequent meetings with officials here involved in preparation for Xi’s India visit.
Last year, Premier Li Keqiang had made his first foreign trip to India after succeeding Wen Jiabao as Premier. Xi’s visit will be culmination of recent high-level visits between the two countries; former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had come to China last October.
Earlier this week, Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman was in Beijing for talks with her Chinese counterpart Gao Hucheng.