Swaraj meets Wang, discusses India-China ties
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi yesterday and discussed a host of bilateral issues and ways to step up the pace of high-level interactions to improve the relationship.
Swaraj arrived in Beijing on Saturday on a four-day visit to take part in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
She was received by Wang at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing ahead of their bilateral meeting. This was their first meeting after Wang was elevated as state councillor last month which makes him the top diplomat of the country in the Chinese hierarchy. He also continues to be the foreign minister.
In her initial remarks, Swaraj congratulated Wang on being elevated as state councillor and appointed the special representative for the India-China boundary talks.
‘This shows how much trust your leadership has in your abilities … and I think your new responsibilities will improve India-China relations,’ she said.
‘We will work closely with the Chinese leadership to take India-China cooperation to new heights,’ she said
Wang said the bilateral ties have witnessed a good development and shown a positive momentum this year under the guidance of the leaders of the two nations.
‘On the eve of the closing of China’s National People’s Congress this year, President Xi Jinping received a very important phone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.’ He said the call spurred a positive momentum in the dialogue process between the two countries.
Swaraj and Wang are meeting in the immediate backdrop of the recent meeting between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and top official of the ruling Communist Party of China Yang Jiechi in Shanghai.